HJAR Jul/Aug 2024

34 JUL / AUG 2024 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS POLICY COLUMN POLICY MATERNAL HEALTH is receiving renewed attention in Arkansas in response to the alarming statistic that our state is, by at least one measure, the riskiest place in the nation to have a baby: Be- tween 2018 and 2020, Arkansas’ maternal mortality rate was 43.5 deaths per 100,000 live births, the highest of any state. 1 Earlier this year, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared improving maternal health a key goal of her administration and established theArkansas Strategic Committee for Maternal Health to develop strategies for addressing the issue. Solving the state’s maternal health crisis requires having clear information about the risks that Arkansas women experience along the birthing journey. TheArkansas Center for Health Improvement has been reviewing and analyzing data onmaternal health to provide policymakers with the information they need to make informed, evidence-based decisions. Some of the issues we have looked at include the following. MATERNAL HEALTH IN ARKANSAS: Major Contributors to the State’s Poor Outcomes