Little Rock – Despite many challenges facing maternal health care, Arkansas has made progress. Arkansas now ranks among the top 10 states with the lowest rates of severe maternal morbidity, proving that focused hospital improvements are saving lives. Earlier this year, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) launched the Arkansas Center for Women and Infants’ Health headed by Executive Director Dr. Nirvana Manning, who also serves as professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UAMS. In addition, new online interactive tools such as UAMS’ maternal health scorecard are helping identify care deserts and guide resources where they are needed most.
According to the nonprofit organization March of Dimes, the state has made great progress this year to improve maternal and infant health care, but there is still much to be done. We still have failing rates in many areas. Preterm birth rates remain stuck at 12.1 percent, ranking near the bottom (47out of 52 states). Infant mortality rates also increased from 7.7. to 8.2 deaths per 1,000 live births. Adequate prenatal care declined, and low-risk cesarean births increased. Too many women struggle to attend appointments for consistent care and support before, during, and after pregnancy.
Arkansas has made major maternal health policy progress this year. In 2025, the state enacted one of the most comprehensive maternal and infant health legislative packages in the country. These reforms include the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act, which expanded remote monitoring for moms living far away from hospitals or clinics. Key provisions expanded Medicaid for pregnant women, increased provider payments, boosted telehealth, and aimed to provide comprehensive, continuous care from pregnancy through postpartum. The legislature also created a statewide certification pathway for community-based doulas, expanded privileges for certified nurse midwives, and required insurance coverage for licensed birthing centers.
We made history as the first state in the South to provide 12 weeks of paid maternity leave for public and charter schoolteachers covered at 100 percent by the state, setting a national example of bipartisan, family-first policy.
In February, The Arkansas Legislature directed $2.5 million in state funds to hospitals in Crossett and El Dorado so UAMS can train physicians in 22 residency slots, including a family medicine obstetrics fellowship.
In October, UAMS received a $4 million federal grant to bring more maternal health care to rural South Arkansas. HEART Moms, which stands for Helping Expand Access to Rural maternal health care Transformation for Moms, is designed to bring comprehensive, team-based care closer to home. The goal is to create “a sustainable, regionally coordinated maternal health network with robust governance, a referral infrastructure and Medicaid-aligned payment strategies,” according to the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology news release. The HEART Moms program will begin in 2026 and employ mobile maternal health clinics that rotate between Ashley and Union counties to reduce patients’ transportation-related barriers to care. To learn more about the program, visit the website at https://myarkansasbirth.org/.
