HJAR Jan/Feb 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JAN / FEB 2025 35 Keith Metz Deputy Chief of Communications Office of Communications and Community Engagement Arkansas Department of Human Services in Batesville is expected to open in the near future and will serve women in Independence County. Additional Maternal Life360s are ex- pected to follow in other hospitals around Arkansas. “St. Bernards has a mission ‘to provide Christ-like healing to the community,’ and we cannot have healthy communities without healthymoms and babies,”said EmilyMcGee, St. Bernards vice president of nursing and women’s and children’s services. “For far too long, our state has struggled with challeng- ing maternal health outcomes, especially in eastern Arkansas. Through our Pregnancy Clinics and free healthcare services and edu- cation, we are improving outcomes through- out our service area. Still, we recognize a need to provide ongoing services that go beyond prenatal care. By partnering with Parents as Teachers, the Maternal Life360 Program helps us provide care for up to years postpar- tum, helping women adjust to motherhood and children get healthy starts. We appre- ciate Governor Sanders and the DHS team for their leadership planning and action to help families.” A woman is eligible for Maternal Life360 home-visiting services if she is enrolled in Arkansas Medicaid, has a diagnosis of high- risk pregnancy, lives in a Life360 service area, and is not currently receiving other state or federally funded home-visiting services. To measure the impact and outcomes of participants in the Maternal Life360 HOME program, DHS plans to monitor hospitals based on several metrics, including the number of home visits performed, linkag- es to nonmedical services needed, hospital admissions and readmissions, nonemergent emergency room visits, prenatal visits, elec- tive cesarean section rates, pre-term or term births, birthweight, NICU stays, and the pro- vision of postpartum contraceptive care. The opening of the first Life360 HOMEs comes on the heels of recommendations made to Governor Sanders by the Strate- gic Committee on Maternal Health, which brought together dozens of partners and stakeholders to suggest ways maternal health inArkansas could be improved to deliver bet- ter health outcomes for pregnant women and babies. The Life360 HOME program is part of the ARHOME (Arkansas Health and Opportu- nity for Me) Medicaid expansion program. Life360 supports will be supplemental only; medical services including doctor’s visits or home healthcare will continue to be provided throughARHOME health plan or traditional Medicaid. For more information about Maternal Life360s, visit ar.gov/life360. n THE Arkansas Department of Human Ser- vices (DHS) is proud to announce that St. Ber- nards Medical Center in Jonesboro will open the first Maternal Life360 HOME inArkansas this month and will begin providing services to women with high-risk pregnancies. Life360 HOMEs are innovative programs that support women with high-risk pregnan- cies through home-visiting services during pregnancy and for up to two years after birth. The intensive supports available through this program are aimed at improving health out- comes and health-related social needs like food security and housing and, as a result, the long-term health and well-being of women and babies. “Opening the first Life360maternal HOME in Arkansas marks an important milestone, and it builds on our statewide focus on im- proving the availability and quality of care for pregnant women and babies across our state,” said DHS Secretary Kristi Putnam. “We’re grateful to St. Bernards for leading the way, and we appreciate our many other partners around the state who are working to implement this program so more women can benefit from these services.” The St. Bernards Maternal Life360 HOME will serve women who are enrolled in Med- icaid benefits in Craighead County. Asecond Life360 HOME atWhite River Medical Center