maternal health


August 21, 2025

Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative Recognizes 20 Birthing Hospitals, Announces New Initiative

David Wise

Representatives from Baxter Health accept their platinum banner for their accomplishments during the ARPQC’s recently completed “Safe Reduction of Primary Cesarean Birth” initiative.

LITTLE ROCK — Birthing hospitals are being recognized for their quality improvement work by The Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ARPQC), awarding platinum or silver partner banners to 20 birthing hospitals that achieved participation milestones. “We are extremely proud of the effort and accomplishments of the hospitals that participated in the initiative promoting vaginal birth,” said…


July 7, 2025

Increased WIC Participation Could Be Key to Improving State Maternal Health Rates, UAMS Researchers Find

David Wise

Assortment of healthy foods

LITTLE ROCK — Expanding awareness of the WIC program and improving access to WIC-approved foods could help boost maternal and infant health in Arkansas, according to researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Arkansas ranks among the worst in the nation for…


June 25, 2025

Empowering Women: A Guide to Women’s Health & Wellness

David Wise

Group of women outdoors

    By Philmar Mendoza Kabua, BSN Women’s health is about more than reproductive care — it’s a commitment to improving one’s overall health at every stage of life. From puberty and pregnancy to menopause and healthy aging, each stage brings new health needs and presents an opportunity to reflect and take charge of one’s…


February 5, 2025

UAMS Study Finds Mothers Living in Rural Areas or Covered by Medicaid Less Likely to Receive Prenatal Care

David Wise

Health care technician performing an ultrasound on a pregnant women

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas mothers who live in rural areas and/or who have a Medicaid-covered birth are less likely to receive early prenatal care or receive an adequate number of prenatal care visits, according to a study published recently by researchers at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Community Health Innovation.


August 29, 2024

UAMS’ Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., Joins Panel of Experts to Discuss Maternal Health Issues

David Wise

Members of a maternal health discussion panel speak to a crowd

U.S. Sen. John Boozman joined health care experts on Wednesday, Aug. 21, to discuss the barriers that prevent Arkansas mothers from optimal health, and the solutions needed to improve the state’s maternal mortality and morbidity rates. Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., director of the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation, was among the six panelists who joined…


November 28, 2023

UAMS, Community Health Centers of Arkansas Awarded $17.5 Million to Study, Reduce Prenatal Inequities

David Wise

Pregnant woman getting a prenatal checkup

FAYETTEVILLE — A study at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Community Health Centers of Arkansas, Inc. (CHCA) has been approved for a $17.5 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study and reduce prenatal inequities. Arkansas is ranked worst for both maternal health outcomes and food insecurity…


April 19, 2023

UAMS Awarded $15 Million for Study Comparing Approaches to Postpartum Care 

David Wise

Pregnant woman getting a prenatal checkup

FAYETTEVILLE — A research team at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has been approved for a five-year, $15 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study the best mechanisms for postpartum follow up with new mothers to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. Maternal mortality rates in the United…


October 15, 2014

Oct. 28 Science Café — ‘High Tech Stork: Mama Care in the 21st Century’

Spencer Watson

LITTLE ROCK – Science Café Little Rock, co-sponsored by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), will hold its next public forum, High Tech Stork: Mama Care in the 21st Century, on Oct. 28. Panelists will discuss maternal health, pregnancy complications, holistic treatments and current advances in newborn car