HJAR May/Jun 2026

34 MAY / JUN 2026 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS ADH CORNER COLUMN ADH CORNER ASK the questions. It sounds simple, but for Arkansas mothers, it can save lives. When a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare pro- vider takes a few extra minutes to ask about mood, home support, transportation barriers, or warning signs, they uncover information that can change maternal outcomes. Across the state, healthcare professionals do this work every day, and Arkansas is investing in resources to help them do it even better. Maternal Health in Arkansas High pregnancy-related illness and death rates are a serious concern for our state. From 2018 through 2022, there were 179,800 live births in Arkansas. According to the Ar- kansas Maternal Mortality Review Commit- tee’s (AMMRC) December 2025 Legislative Report, data from 2018 to 2022 show: • There were 170 pregnancy-associated deaths, or 94.5 deaths per 100,000 live births. A pregnancy-associated death is a death that occurs during or shortly after a woman is pregnant but is not due to the pregnancy itself. Adeath due to a car accident is a good example. • There were 69 pregnancy-related deaths, or 39.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. Of these deaths, 94% were considered preventable. Apregnancy-related death is a death that occurs due to a woman’s pregnancy. • Infections and cardiovascular disor- ders were the leading causes of preg- nancy-related deaths. Common un- derlying causes included infections, cardiomyopathy, other cardiovascular conditions, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, hemorrhage, and mental health conditions. • Black women were 1.2 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. • Women ages 35 and older had the high- est pregnancy-related mortality ratio — 4.9 times higher than that of women younger than age 25. While infections and cardiovascular dis- orders were the leading causes of pregnan- cy-related deaths, the AMMRC also noted that, of those who died, 39%were obese, 16% had mental health conditions, and 28% had substance use disorders. Nineteen percent died during pregnancy and 12% on the day of delivery, while 14.5% died during the first six days postpartum, 20% from seven to 42 days postpartum, and 35% from 43 to 365 days postpartum. More recently, data from 2023 show that certain risk factors remain common. Of 35,182 live births that year, general risk fac- tors were gestational hypertension (3,739), gestational diabetes (2,560), pre-pregnancy hypertension (1,282), and pregnancy diabe- tes (418). Access to care is also a persistent barrier. Arkansas is largely rural, and transportation challenges, long travel distances, and limited obstetrical services in some communities can result in delayed care. The data are clear — many pregnancy- related complications and deaths are preventable. Providers can be a powerful force in preventing them. What Providers Can Do One of the most effective actions providers can take is to ask broader, more intentional questions. Not just clinical ones like “Is the baby moving?” or “Any bleeding?” but also questions that reveal whether a woman is truly safe and supported. Questions like: • How is your mood? Are you struggling emotionally? • Are you having any difficulty getting to your appointments? • Do you have support at home? • Are you or have you ever used tobacco, alcohol, or other substances? • Have you experienced intimate partner violence? These questions do not have to come from the physician. Nurses, medical assistants, and other care teammembers all play a role. What matters is that someone asks and that the answers lead to action. When providers understand a patient’s full situation, they can connect her to appropriate support. When no one asks, needs go unmet — sometimes with fatal consequences. Routine screenings for depression, anxiety, intimate partner violence, and substance use should be standard practice at every prena- tal and postpartum visit. These are essential components of comprehensive maternal care. Patient education is just as important. Every woman should leave a visit knowing which warning signs require immediate at- tention. For example, a blood pressure of 160/90 is more urgent in a woman two weeks postpartum than in the general population. ASK THE QUESTIONS: How Arkansas Providers Can Save Mothers’ Lives