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The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences announced Monday that it will receive $40 million in federal funding, some of which will improve its maternal and infant health initiatives.
The funding, included in the federal judge law President Donald Trump signed last week, will support the Arkansas Center for Women and Infants’ Health, UAMS said.
Arkansas consistently has among the nation’s highest maternal and infant mortality rates. The new federal funding will help UAMS strengthen its programs that can reduce these statistics, according to its Monday news release.
The center, which UAMS launched last year, works with providers to increase pregnant and postpartum Arkansans’ access to care, especially in rural and underserved communities.
The organization includes a call center that contacts postpartum Arkansans to check on them and their babies and ensure their needs are met.
Other maternal health initiatives that the funding will support include creating a Maternal and Infant Education Center, adding services to the UAMS Milk Bank for mothers, renovating a UAMS building to create a low-intervention birthing center, and purchasing new simulation equipment for training maternal and infant health care providers.
Arkansas Republican U.S. John Boozman, who advocated for the appropriations, said in UAMS’ news release that the funding is “critical” for the institution to “ultimately save and elevate the quality of many more lives.”
Some of the funding will support non-maternal health programs, such as mobile vision screening efforts, the UAMS Student Wellness program and the Student and Employee Health Clinic.
Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. This article was published with permission from the Arkansas Advocate. Contact Editor Andrew DeMillo for questions: [email protected]. Follow Arkansas Advocate on Facebook and Twitter.
