1171: Leveraging the Rural Health Transformation Grant to Strengthen Maternal Health Systems

Improving maternal health outcomes requires coordinated systems that ensure every patient receives the right level of care at the right time. In this bonus, long-form episode, Daniel Edney, ASTHOpresident-elect and state health officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health, explains how Mississippi is using Rural Health Transformation Program grant funding to build a statewide obstetrical system of care, establish new neonatal intensive care units, strengthen EMS coordination, and close critical gaps in care for rural communities. He also discusses how data, innovation, and broad partnerships are driving the state's effort to reduce maternal and infant mortality. Later, Ramya Flores, director of Maternal and Infant Health at ASTHO, puts Mississippi's work into a national context, highlighting how states are adopting levels of maternal care to improve access to risk-appropriate services. She outlines the partnerships, investments, and implementation strategies that support successful maternal care systems and previews ASTHO's latest resources to help states advance this work.