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Sense of Community: Maternal Health in the Ozarks

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Missouri consistently ranks among the lowest-performing states in maternal healthcare. In a 2024 report from the Commonwealth Fund, Missouri placed 43rd in the nation for outcomes related to women’s health and reproductive care.

On Sense of Community, we speak with leading health experts from the Ozarks, and across the state, to examine what’s driving these rankings and to explore what's being done to improve maternal health outcomes in Missouri.
 

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Missouri consistently ranks among the lowest-performing states in maternal healthcare.

Listen to KSMU Maternal Health Stories

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Maternal Health in the Ozarks - Video Features

The state of maternal health in Missouri

Physicians and maternal health advocates reckon with Missouri's troubling maternal mortality rate

A visit with the doctor

OB/GYNs in Springfield and Columbia discuss the often hidden risks to maternal health in Missouri

Breaking the cycle: how peer support is changing outcomes for high-risk mothers

Federal grants offer support and care for pregnant women struggling with substance use disorder

My story matters: one woman's path from addiction to advocacy

How unprocessed trauma becomes a gateway to addiction.

Improving Outcomes: Missouri’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative

Partners across the state are pinpointing preventable issues in maternal health and working together

Care across distance: maternal health in rural settings

Hear about the challenges faced by mom’s in rural areas

Eight times more likely: Medicaid, poverty, and maternal death in Missouri

Maternal health advocates unpack what the program actually provides for women

The Doula effect: increasing access to support

Hear how rural counties has a chance for care and support.

Maternal Health in the Ozarks - Resource List

Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services
Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR)
 

Missouri Perinatal Quality Collaborative
Missouri PAMR Report Highlights

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