ARPQC Launches Website to Provide Information About Maternity Care Services, Initiatives
| LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ARPQC), a partnership launched last year between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), the Arkansas Department of Health and 34 birthing hospitals across the state, launched its new website recently, creating a hub for patients and health care providers alike to access pivotal information related to maternal health care in Arkansas.
The site, arpqc.org, houses information about the collaborative, provides education to help patients make informed health care decisions and includes resources for health care providers.
The ARPCQ’s mission is to decrease maternal morbidity and mortality in Arkansas. Between 2018 and 2020, 38 women in Arkansas died from pregnancy-related causes. According to the state’s review panel of medical experts, more than 90% of these deaths were potentially preventable.
“Through our website, we’re making available all the information and resources we have to help strengthen the quality of maternal care and to improve patient outcomes and experiences for women in Arkansas,” said Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, Ph.D., MHS, an associate professor in the UAMS Department of Internal Medicine and the director of evaluation for the ARPQC. “For patients, we’re providing information about maternity care services and quality programs at each birthing hospital. This is the first time this information is available in one place for all hospitals in Arkansas.”
Since its launch last year, the ARPQC has facilitated trainings with hospitals and clinicians across the state aimed at reducing cesarean delivery rates and providing better pathways to optimal health for Arkansas’ mothers.
“The ARPQC has brought all the state’s birthing hospitals together to work as a collaborative group committed to improving outcomes for maternity patients across the state,” said Dawn Brown, MSN, program director for the ARPQC. “Hospitals are sharing their successes with one another and also seeking each other’s advice on best practices. We’re excited to see our state’s doctors and nurses collaborate to create a better state of health for all mothers in Arkansas.”
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,485 students, 915 medical residents and fellows, and seven dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 11,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###