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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Maternal Health – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Maternal Health.

Disparities in Maternal Health Visits Between Rural and Urban Communities in the United States, 2016–2018
Analyzes data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System between 2016 and 2018 to compare rural and urban differences in prepregnancy, prenatal, and postpartum healthcare access and quality for 103,425 patients in 40 states, New York City, and Puerto Rico. Includes a rural and urban break down of patient demographics, insurance status, and chronic conditions. Discusses the role telehealth may play in closing gaps in care.
Author(s): Burcu Bozkurt, Arrianna Marie Planey, Monisa Aijaz, et al.
Citation: The Permanente Journal, 2024
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Rural Maternal Health Series: Implementing Patient Safety Bundles in Rural Hospitals
Webinar recording, third in a series, discusses the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) bundles, a standardized set of processes for improving maternal healthcare quality and safety in rural hospitals. Features presentations from representatives of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM), the Iowa Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, and Gundersen Palmer Hospital in West Union, Iowa.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 04/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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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
Type: Document
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
Type: Audio
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
Type: Document
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Rural Maternal Health Series: Engaging with Perinatal Quality Collaboratives for Rural Hospitals
Webinar recording, second in a series, discusses the role Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQCs) play in making improvements in maternal and infant healthcare and outcomes in rural hospitals. Features presentations from representatives of the CDC's Perinatal & Infant Health Team, Washington State Department of Health, and University of Montana Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities.
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 03/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Evidence-Based, Whole-Person Care for Pregnant People Who Have Opioid Use Disorder
Report presents care recommendations for treatment of opioid use disorder during pregnancy. Discusses the risks of opioid use during and after pregnancy and explores factors to consider when treating pregnant people. Highlights barriers for rural patients.
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Rural Maternal Health Series: Achieving Birthing-Friendly Status in Rural Hospitals
Webinar recording discusses the quality maternity care improvements rural hospitals must make to earn the Birthing-Friendly designation from CMS. Features presentations from representatives of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), the CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ), and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).
Additional links: Audio Recording, Webinar Slides
Date: 03/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Racial/Ethnic Differences in Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence and Postpartum Abuse Screening Among Rural US Residents who Gave Birth 2016-2020
Describes rates of self-reported intimate partner violence among rural residents before or during pregnancy, and the frequency by which different racial or ethnic groups are not screened for abuse after giving birth. Uses 2016-2020 data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), a population-based surveillance survey. Features statistics with breakdowns by race or ethnicity.
Author(s): Emily C. Sheffield, Alyssa H. Fritz, Katy Backes Kozhimannil
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Last Updated: 4/24/2024