Nurses at the Arkansas Center for Women & Infants’ Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) have started calling postpartum moms across Arkansas to ensure that they and their babies are off to a healthy start.
“A UAMS nurse will call each new mom in the days after delivery to discuss any postpartum concerns, such as recovery, well-being, infant care or help with diapers, formula, housing, lactation support, and insurance re-enrollment,” said Nirvana Manning, MD, chair of the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the center.
The center then helps connect women to the care and resources they need.
This initiative, known as the Proactive Postpartum Call Center, launched its pilot phase on May 1, initially calling all postpartum women who delivered at UAMS. It is now expanding to those who delivered at other hospitals in Arkansas, once those hospitals have signed agreements to facilitate access to patients’ contact information and medical history. So far, six other hospitals are participating, with hopes of all 33 birthing hospitals participating by the end of the year.
The center brings together UAMS programs and partnerships that are designed to combat maternal and infant mortality. It was created thanks to a $5 million Congressional appropriation to UAMS in March 2024 that was championed by Arkansas’ U.S. Sen. John Boozman, in response to the state’s high number of maternal and infant deaths and findings from the Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which showed that most pregnancy-associated deaths in Arkansas occur during the postpartum period.