New organization ‘AIMs’ to improve maternal health outcomes

Driven by research that shows Arkansas has the highest maternal mortality rate in the nation, Arkansans for Improving Maternal Health (AIM) has formed to advance policies to raise the state’s standing. The group said it defines maternal healthcare to include prenatal care, safe delivery and postpartum support like mental healthcare.

AIM said it will amplify stories from parents to improve public awareness and to spur action for better maternal healthcare access, affordability and quality. A website, AIMforArkansas.org, has launched to share stories, connect with other parents and learn more about the challenges facing Arkansas.

“Statistics are compelling, but thousands of families have stories about how poor maternal healthcare, including care after birth, set them on the wrong path at a moment when their family’s future should have felt so full of possibility. Our goal is to share the stories behind the numbers,” said AIM Executive Director Ashley Bearden Campbell. “These moms and dads, and their children, deserve to be heard.”

AIM for Arkansas will advocate for pro-family policies, including:

• Improved access: One of the most significant barriers to access results from inadequate public health insurance reimbursement rates. Low rates cause issues for hospitals in hiring doctors and nurses. To address the access gap, AIM will support increasing reimbursement rates for providers who deliver babies (both doctors and midwives).
• Improved affordability: The 2023 Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee report recommended extending insurance coverage from 60 days to one year postpartum “to monitor the mother’s physical and mental health.” AIM will support the bipartisan effort to increase Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months postpartum. Arkansas is one of only eight states that has not passed this life-saving legislation.
• Improved quality: All Arkansans should have access to highly skilled and licensed OB/GYNs and perinatal care providers. To ensure mothers and infants have the highest quality of care, AIM will support increasing funding for workforce training through medical schools and increasing the number of residency slots to train providers in the state.

Research by the Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee shows that 92% of maternal deaths in Arkansas could be prevented by enhancing the quality of maternal health care. Such efforts may include improving mothers’ current physical and mental health and reducing the number of cesarean sections. Half of Arkansas births come via c-sections.

An estimated one in 50 Arkansas women has a disease or illness that leads to significant health complications during pregnancy or the postpartum period that requires hospitalization, according to Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, associate professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

According to the March of Dimes, 45.3% of Arkansas counties are defined as maternity care deserts. Nearly half of the state’s 75 counties, 48%, do not have a single obstetric provider. Families, especially those in rural areas, also struggle to find hospitals to safely deliver their infants.

Bearden Campbell, who will lead AIM, has worked at Little Rock-based Impact Management Group for nearly 15 years.

She delivered her daughter, Aubrey, via emergency cesarean at 28 weeks and 5 days. Aubrey weighed 2 lbs. 4 oz and had numerous health complications to overcome. A NICU nurse recognized signs of postpartum depression, anxiety, and PTSD Ashley was experiencing, and provided recommendations for mental health services.

“While my personal experience is what drives my passion to amplify the urgent need for improved maternal health care here in Arkansas, my professional experience is very helpful in terms of understanding the importance of building relationships and laying the groundwork that is necessary to see tangible change,” she said.

“In my career, I have had the opportunity to communicate with policymakers on a range of issues and have seen, firsthand, how committed they are to responding to the needs of their constituents. There is power in numbers. The more people who share their experiences, the more our policymakers can connect with the families behind these statistics, understand that this is an urgent and widespread issue, and recognize that there is strong, bipartisan support for advancing policies to improve maternal health in our state,” she added.