Maternal Health Research in Arkansas

This project focuses on improving maternal and pediatric health in underserved, rural communities across Arkansas. Supported by a $114,380 grant from the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas, the initiative uses the DPHI’s Community Champions of Health (CCH) model to cultivate community-based health leaders who can educate, support and connect women, mothers and children to preventive care and local resources. The grant-funded effort, titled “Maternal Health Learning and Care Communities,” centers on customized learning and care communities in Jonesboro, Blytheville, and West Memphis. Through these localized cohorts, participants receive interactive educational sessions addressing preventive care, prenatal expectations, the delivery process, postpartum care, and mental health and well-being. The model emphasizes practical, community-rooted learning that prepares individuals for healthy pregnancies, supports maternal mental health, and helps prevent adverse childhood experiences by equipping families with knowledge and local supports.

The DPHI frames the CCH program as a way to build local capacity by training community members to become health influencers who lead education initiatives tailored to their communities’ needs. Training includes fostering peer mentorship, connecting participants with wrap-around services available in their areas, and creating ongoing support networks to sustain health-promoting behaviors. Participants are paired with peer mentors who provide individualized support, reinforcing education through lived experience and local knowledge. The approach intentionally links educational content with resource navigation, ensuring participants not only learn about health behaviors and care pathways but also gain concrete access to services and supports in their regions.

By situating this work in rural Arkansas, the project addresses specific geographic and systemic barriers to maternal and pediatric health. The DPHI’s role as NYITCOM at A-State’s community engagement arm positions it to leverage assets across education, research, policy, and community engagement to catalyze a more equitable culture of health in the Delta. The project’s design reflects an understanding that improving outcomes requires local leadership, culturally relevant education, and coordinated connections to services that mitigate the social determinants of health. The CCH model’s emphasis on training health influencers fosters sustainability: community leaders trained through the program can continue to deliver education, advocate for resources, and serve as trusted points of contact long after initial training concludes.

Ultimately, the initiative aims to make measurable improvements in maternal and pediatric health by empowering communities to prevent adverse childhood experiences and improve prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care. The grant supports direct programming in targeted locales, builds community leadership capacity through the Community Champions of Health model, and integrates mental health and well-being into maternal health education. Brook Laurent and the DPHI position this project as a community-centered response to pressing rural health needs, combining education, mentorship, and connection to services to produce lasting benefits for mothers, children, and families across the participating Arkansas communities.