Rural Maternal Health – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Maternal Health.
Meeting Essential Health Services And Reimagining Obstetrics In A Rural Community
Case study profiling Kittitas Valley Healthcare (KVH) in rural Washington. Describes how KVH implemented a new staffing model to maintain essential obstetrics and gynecological care.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Case study profiling Kittitas Valley Healthcare (KVH) in rural Washington. Describes how KVH implemented a new staffing model to maintain essential obstetrics and gynecological care.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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The First 1,000 Days of Life: Creating Brighter Futures for New Moms and Babies
Podcast episode featuring a discussion with leaders from Intermountain Healthcare and St. James Health Care in Butte, Montana, regarding how their initiatives provide wraparound and intensive case management services to at-risk new moms from pregnancy through their baby's first two years. Includes a discussion with a former program participant.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Podcast episode featuring a discussion with leaders from Intermountain Healthcare and St. James Health Care in Butte, Montana, regarding how their initiatives provide wraparound and intensive case management services to at-risk new moms from pregnancy through their baby's first two years. Includes a discussion with a former program participant.
Date: 04/2024
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Rural/Urban Differences in Rates and Predictors of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse Screening among Pregnant and Postpartum United States Residents
Examines rates, predictors, and screening of perinatal intimate partner violence (IPV) victims after giving birth. Utilizes national data from the 2016-2020 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) to analyze rural versus urban IPV according to demographic variables, comorbidities, screening rates, and more.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Emily C. Sheffield, Alyssa H. Fritz, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(2), e14212
Date: 04/2024
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Examines rates, predictors, and screening of perinatal intimate partner violence (IPV) victims after giving birth. Utilizes national data from the 2016-2020 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) to analyze rural versus urban IPV according to demographic variables, comorbidities, screening rates, and more.
Author(s): Katy Backes Kozhimannil, Emily C. Sheffield, Alyssa H. Fritz, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research, 59(2), e14212
Date: 04/2024
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Maternal and Infant Health: HHS Should Strengthen Processes for Measuring Program Performance
Provides an overview of the Healthy Start program, which aims to reduce rates of infant death, improve maternal health outcomes, and reduce racial and ethnic disparities. Describes Healthy Start grantees and participants served during the April 2019-March 2024 grant period, as well as services that grantees are expected to provide and changes to these expectations for the 2024-2029 grant period. Explores the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services's (HHS) efforts to measure program performance, the extent to which Healthy Start performance measures meet key attributes of effective measures, and HHS' efforts to align Healthy Start performance measures with those of related HHS programs. Includes information on Healthy Start programs and participants by organization type, race, and rurality. Offers recommendations regarding reviewing and coordinating Healthy Start performance measures across Healthy Start and related programs.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of the Healthy Start program, which aims to reduce rates of infant death, improve maternal health outcomes, and reduce racial and ethnic disparities. Describes Healthy Start grantees and participants served during the April 2019-March 2024 grant period, as well as services that grantees are expected to provide and changes to these expectations for the 2024-2029 grant period. Explores the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services's (HHS) efforts to measure program performance, the extent to which Healthy Start performance measures meet key attributes of effective measures, and HHS' efforts to align Healthy Start performance measures with those of related HHS programs. Includes information on Healthy Start programs and participants by organization type, race, and rurality. Offers recommendations regarding reviewing and coordinating Healthy Start performance measures across Healthy Start and related programs.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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2023 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report: Chartbook on Patient Safety
Summarizes trends in healthcare quality across 28 measures of patient safety. Presents findings for four settings of care: ambulatory care, home health, hospitals, and nursing homes. Highlights differences in maternal morbidity and mortality measures by rurality.
Author(s): Barbara Barton, Darryl Gray, Cecilia Hahn, et al.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Summarizes trends in healthcare quality across 28 measures of patient safety. Presents findings for four settings of care: ambulatory care, home health, hospitals, and nursing homes. Highlights differences in maternal morbidity and mortality measures by rurality.
Author(s): Barbara Barton, Darryl Gray, Cecilia Hahn, et al.
Date: 03/2024
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Optimizing Postpartum Care in Rural Communities: Insights from Women in Arizona and Implications for Policy
Analyzes the postpartum care needs of women living in rural Arizona. Reports on interview feedback from 30 women structured around themes of maternity care and networks of care, structural support and systems, and health information and literacy. Discusses potential implications for policy and practice related to rural postpartum care.
Author(s): Abidemi Okechukwu, Priscilla Magrath, Halimatou Alaofe, et al.
Citation: Maternal and Child Health Journal, 28, 1148-1159
Date: 02/2024
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Analyzes the postpartum care needs of women living in rural Arizona. Reports on interview feedback from 30 women structured around themes of maternity care and networks of care, structural support and systems, and health information and literacy. Discusses potential implications for policy and practice related to rural postpartum care.
Author(s): Abidemi Okechukwu, Priscilla Magrath, Halimatou Alaofe, et al.
Citation: Maternal and Child Health Journal, 28, 1148-1159
Date: 02/2024
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Maternal Health in Rural America
White paper describing factors contributing to rural maternal health disparities, including financial barriers to providing obstetric services at rural hospitals, maternal health workforce shortages, access to care, and quality of care. Outlines policy considerations to increase access to maternal health services in rural areas.
Author(s): Hailey Waldman, Alexandra Zimmerman
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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White paper describing factors contributing to rural maternal health disparities, including financial barriers to providing obstetric services at rural hospitals, maternal health workforce shortages, access to care, and quality of care. Outlines policy considerations to increase access to maternal health services in rural areas.
Author(s): Hailey Waldman, Alexandra Zimmerman
Date: 02/2024
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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America's Children: Special Issue 2024, Maternal and Infant Health and Well-Being
Examines the factors predicting maternal and infant well-being. Breaks down data by a number of measures, including food insecurity, vaccinations, maternal health, prenatal care, and more. Select data on Tdap vaccinations, smoking during pregnancy, adequacy of prenatal care, and maternal mortality are available by metro versus nonmetro location.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
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Examines the factors predicting maternal and infant well-being. Breaks down data by a number of measures, including food insecurity, vaccinations, maternal health, prenatal care, and more. Select data on Tdap vaccinations, smoking during pregnancy, adequacy of prenatal care, and maternal mortality are available by metro versus nonmetro location.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
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America's Health Rankings 2024 Health of Women and Children Report
Provides a national and state-by-state overview of the health of infants, children, and women of reproductive age. Compares rural-urban differences in mental health conditions, education, obesity, and smoking among reproductive-age women at the national level. Includes maps that show concentrated disadvantage by county within each state.
Additional links: Concentrated Disadvantage County-Level Maps, State Summaries
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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Provides a national and state-by-state overview of the health of infants, children, and women of reproductive age. Compares rural-urban differences in mental health conditions, education, obesity, and smoking among reproductive-age women at the national level. Includes maps that show concentrated disadvantage by county within each state.
Additional links: Concentrated Disadvantage County-Level Maps, State Summaries
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: United Health Foundation
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Rural Maternity Innovation Summit Reports
Findings from a March 2024 Clifton, Texas summit that brought together leaders from six innovative and sustainable rural maternity programs. The site report provides case studies, sharing information on maternity services, staffing, financial strategies, and more. The leader report shares strategies and identifies leadership competencies, values, and character traits that support the leaders' abilities to meet the challenges in providing sustainable rural maternity services in rural communities.
Author(s): Erin E. Sullivan, Benjamin Anderson, Mark Deutchman
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: University of Colorado School of Medicine Rural Program
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Findings from a March 2024 Clifton, Texas summit that brought together leaders from six innovative and sustainable rural maternity programs. The site report provides case studies, sharing information on maternity services, staffing, financial strategies, and more. The leader report shares strategies and identifies leadership competencies, values, and character traits that support the leaders' abilities to meet the challenges in providing sustainable rural maternity services in rural communities.
Author(s): Erin E. Sullivan, Benjamin Anderson, Mark Deutchman
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: University of Colorado School of Medicine Rural Program
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Last Updated: 3/28/2025