Arkansas agencies pursue initiatives to improve state’s maternal health

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Arkansas officials are collaborating on outreach events and initiatives to fill gaps in women’s health care services in response to the governor’s directive to improve maternal health.

Arkansas has the nation’s highest maternal mortality rate and the third highest infant mortality rate, according to the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. Black mothers are most at risk and are twice as likely as their white counterparts to die, according to a 2023 legislative report.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order earlier this month that created a committee tasked with increasing access to quality maternal health services as well as improving education; maternal health before, during and after pregnancy; and statewide coordination for maternal health data and reporting.

State officials told the Legislature’s Public Health, Welfare & Labor Committee on Friday that their pursuit of those goals includes a stakeholder meeting on April 22 and a women’s health event at the Arkansas Capitol on May 2 where attendees can access health screenings and resources. 

They also reiterated plans to launch a pilot program in five counties with high rates of pregnant Arkansans receiving no maternal health care:  Crittenden, Garland, Phillips, Polk and Scott.

Cassie Cochran, deputy director for public health programs, said they will review clinic processes and services in these counties to better align the services that can be offered in Local Health Units. 

All 75 of the state’s counties have at least one Local Health Unit operated by the Arkansas Department of Health where people can seek health care services like immunizations and testing for contagious diseases.

Cochran said they also plan to bring community stakeholders together to review locally available services and discuss how to better connect them to cover the entire spectrum of women’s health.

Arkansas Health Secretary Renee Mallory said a major factor contributing to the state’s high maternal mortality rate is women starting their pregnancies unhealthy because of chronic conditions.

“To change that dynamic is tough. We’re not a healthy state,” Mallory said. “So it’s like what could we do that might move the needle a little bit faster and actually help these moms have healthy babies?”

Mallory said one thing being considered is placing an Arkansas Department of Human Services representative at Local Health Units who could help women apply for Medicaid. DHS Secretary Kristi Putnam said more than half of Arkansas babies born each year are on Medicaid. 

Sanders’ executive order directs state agencies to immediately work on enrolling all eligible Arkansans in existing health insurance programs that cover pregnancy and postpartum care, including Medicaid programs. The governor was criticized last month for saying she didn’t believe expanding Medicaid postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months was necessary.

Arkansas is one of three states that have not taken advantage of the federal option to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months after birth. A 2023 bill would have extended this coverage but did not advance in the Legislature due to cost concerns.

Public Health Committee chair Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, said Friday that it’s important to understand the specific nature of Medicaid programs, the timing of enrollment and how to make that “more seamless and streamlined.”

“You want to be as effective with the programs that we have, but we also want to make sure that they’re being fully utilized to the best of the program’s ability…the biggest thing that we need to do better at [is] connecting the resources that are already available,” Irvin said.   

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