HJAR May/Jun 2026

MATERNAL HEALTH 20 MAY / JUN 2026 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS   everyone regardless of their zip code. And more maternal health research inArkansas facilitates the creation of solutions within the state, fostering sustained innovation. The challenges that have created mater- nal health disparities are numerous and complex; a single solution is inadequate. Therefore, Arkansas must continue to implement multiple initiatives simultane- ously to continue to see improvements. As healthcare providers and stakeholders continue to accelerate this multifaceted approach to improving perinatal care, we will transform maternal and infant health- care in Arkansas, ultimately fostering healthier moms, healthier babies, healthier families, and healthier communities across the state. n REFERENCES A. M. Falconi et al., “Doula Care Across the Maternity Care Continuum and Impact on Maternal Health: Evaluation of Doula Programs Across Three States Using Propensity Score Matching,” eClinicalMedicine 50 (2022), https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101531. Arkansas Strategic Committee for Maternal Health Maternal Health Working Group, “Statewide Strategic Maternal Health Plan,” Arkansas Department of Human Services, https:// humanservices.arkansas.gov/wp-content/ uploads/Maternal-Health-Recommendations- Final-09.05.2024.pdf. C. C. Brown et al., “Risk of Adverse Infant Outcomes Associated with Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders,” Archives of Women’s Mental Health 28, no. 3 (2025): 551– 61, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-024-01517-2. C. Mundorf et al., “Reducing the Risk of Postpartum Depression in a Low-Income Community Through a Community Health Worker Intervention,” Maternal and Child Health Journal 22 (2018): 520–28. “E.O. 24–03: Executive Order to Support Moms, Protect Babies, and Improve Maternal Health,” March 6, 2024, https://governor.arkansas.gov/ executive_orders/e-o-24-03-executive-order- to-support-moms-protect-babies-and-improve- maternal-health/. Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act, H. B. 1427/Act 124, State of Arkansas 95th General Assembly, Regular Session, 2025, https://arkleg.state.ar.us/ Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025 R%2FPublic%2FACT124.pdf. J. Sandall et al., “Midwife-Led Continuity Models Versus Other Models of Care for Childbearing Women,” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 4, no. 4 (2016): Cd004667, https://doi. org/10.1002/14651858.CD004667.pub5. J. Straughen et al., “Community Health Workers as Change Agents in Improving Equity in Birth Outcomes in Detroit,” PLoS One 18, no. 2 (2023): e0281450. K. Knocke et al., “Doula Care and Maternal Health: An Evidence Review,” Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Health Policy, Dec. 13, 2022, https://aspe. hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ dfcd768f1caf6fabf3d281f762e8d068/ASPE- Doula-Issue-Brief-12-13-22.pdf. K. Langston et al., “Developing a Sustainable Community Health Workforce in Arkansas,” Journal of Primary Care & Community Health 16 (2025): 21501319251391595, https://doi. org/10.1177/21501319251391595. K. McCue K et al., “Impact of a Community Health Worker (CHW) Home Visiting Intervention on Any and Adequate Prenatal Care Among Ethno-Racially Diverse Pregnant Women of the US Southwest,” Maternal and Child Health Journal 26, no. 12 (2022): 2485–95, https://doi. org/10.1007/s10995-022-03506-2. K. Ramey-Collier et al., “Doula Care: A Review of Outcomes and Impact on Birth Experience,” Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey 78, no. 2 (2023): 124–27. L. Boyd et al., “Features and Impact of Trust- Based Relationships Between Community Health Workers and Low-Resource Perinatal Women with Chronic Health Conditions,” Maternal and Child Health Journal 25 (2021): 1866–74. L. Roman et al., “A Statewide Medicaid Enhanced Prenatal Care Program: Impact on Birth Outcomes,” JAMA Pediatrics 168, no. 3 (2014): 220–27. L. Roman et al., “The Impact of a Population- Based System of Care Intervention on Enhanced Prenatal Care and Service Utilization Among Medicaid-Insured Pregnant Women,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 62, no. 2 (2022): e117–27. “Maternal Deaths and Mortality Rates by State, 2018–2022,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ maternal-mortality/mmr-2018-2022-state-data. pdf. M. Lutenbacher et al., “Using Community Health Workers to Improve Health Outcomes in a Sample of Hispanic Women and Their Infants: Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial,” Hispanic Health Care International 21, no. 3 (2023): 129–41. Nirvana Manning, direct message to author sharing internal report data. P. McElfish et al., “The Evolution of Doula Care in Arkansas,” (under review), 2025. P. McElfish et al., “Examining the Benefits of Early Prenatal Care Using U.S. Birth Records,” Public Health Reports. Forthcoming 2026. P. McElfish et al., “Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Prenatal Care Utilization in Arkansas, United States,” Preventive Medicine Reports 51 (2025): 102983, https://doi. org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.102983. Erratum in: Preventive Medicine Reports 55 (2025): 103122, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103122. S. Acquaye and D. Spatz, “An Integrative Review: The Role of the Doula in Breastfeeding Initiation and Duration,” The Journal of Perinatal Education 30, no. 1 (2021): 29. S. Cunningham et al., “Safe Start Community Health Worker Program: A Multisector Partnership to Improve Perinatal Outcomes Among Low-Income Pregnant Women with Chronic Health Conditions, American Journal of Public Health 110, no. 6 (2020): 836–39. S. Srinivas et al., “295: ‘Safe Start’: A Community Health Worker Program that Improves Perinatal Outcomes in High Risk Women,” American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 220, no. 1 (2019): S208. “Stats of the State: Arkansas,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/ nchs/state-stats/states/ar.html, accessed Jan. 14, 2026. Pearl McElfish is a professor in the College of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and also serves as the founding director of the university’s Institute for Community Health Innovation. She has a doctoral degree in public (health) policy and master’s degrees in business administration and community and economic development. She is a national and international leader in rural health and research, with a strong focus on maternal health, Food Is Medicine, and community engaged research.