By Olivia Walton
What a difference a year can make.
Last spring, Arkansas reached an inflection point. We decided that our last-place finish in maternal outcomes was no longer acceptable. We decided that our mothers, our children and our families deserve more.
Through education and advocacy, there is now a swell of support for improving maternal healthcare, and universal agreement that taking care of moms matters.
A year ago, our sights were set on a 12-month Medicaid expansion for moms. Now in 2024, we have a signed executive order from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders that works smarter, not harder, to get women the care they need before, during and after birth.
I’m optimistic that the governor has lent her support to this critical issue, and I look forward to seeing this order in action — it’s pro-family. It helps ensure our kids can thrive in school, and it’s fiscally responsible.
Rather than creating redundancies in coverage, the plan will automatically enroll more eligible women in Medicaid, eliminate gaps and streamline access statewide. A groundbreaking pilot program will also target the five most at-risk counties to increase prenatal care.
Most importantly, the governor has requested that private stakeholders work alongside the state’s Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and surgeon general to develop a strategic plan for maternal health moving forward.
Over the coming months, this is where I see my organization, Ingeborg Initiatives, being most helpful.
At Ingeborg, we are on a mission to empower Arkansas moms by improving maternal health, advancing women’s economic opportunity and expanding access to quality care and early learning opportunities for children.
Our team, led by Harvard-trained perinatal epidemiologist and University of Arkansas professor Dr. Cara Osborne, will work with the recently established Arkansas Strategic Committee for Maternal Health on solutions.
Among our top priorities are those laid out in a new report by Heartland Forward. They include: advocating for more community health workers; expanding access to telehealth; addressing healthcare workforce shortages, including midwives; and increasing reimbursement rates and transparency on costs and data.
In other rural states across the country, these tried-and-true solutions are already in place and working.
In Arkansas, preventing just half of maternal deaths would save the state $872 million a year. This savings could underwrite 11,000 nursing scholarships or fund two new 500-bed hospitals.
As an adopted Arkansan, I’m proud to lend my voice and leadership to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Momentary and Heartland Summit.
But as a mom of three children, I became invested in the state when I founded Ingeborg Initiatives because it was personal for me. Even in the best of circumstances, motherhood is hard. For those without access to care and resources, it can feel impossible.
A year ago, most people either believed that maternal care in the state was adequate, or they didn’t think much about it at all.
Today, they understand that empowering mothers isn’t just a women’s issue. Ensuring that mom is healthy and economically secure is the most efficient, impactful intervention we can make for the strength of our families — and communities — as a whole.