Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program - Overview The Virginia Rural Health Association (VRHA), in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health Division of Child and Family Health (VDH), the Cumberland Plateau Health District (CPHD), the Lenowisco Health District (LHD), the Mt. Rogers Health District (MRHD), the Institute of Public Health Innovation (IPHI), Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU), Radford University College of Nursing (Radford), the Mt Rogers Workforce Development Board (WDB), the Virginia Interfaith Center (VIC), and regional healthcare providers and stakeholders, proposes the development of a Virginia Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (VRMOMS) network focused on improving maternal health outcomes within the rural counties of the Cumberland Plateau, Lenowisco, and Mt. Rogers health districts in Southwest Virginia. Needs to be Addressed The Southwest Virginia region is largely composed of HRSA-designated rural areas, where geographic isolation, limited healthcare infrastructure, and high rates of poverty significantly impact maternal health outcomes. These communities face persistent systemic barriers that both patients and providers must navigate, including long travel distances to care, maternal healthcare deserts, a significant shortage of obstetric providers and delivery wards, and insufficient access to prenatal and perinatal services. The need for expanded maternal health services in this region is urgent. Proposed Services Over the four year grant period, this project will incorporate a number of interconnected activities to expand maternal health in Southwest Virginia, including: embedding expanded perinatal services at the local health departments, training and deploying new community health workers (CHWs) and doulas to connect patients to specialized maternal health care, creating a new Project ECHO telehealth system focused on perinatal and maternal health needs specific to the Southwest Virginia region, providing access to maternal fetal medicine specialist care through a new telehealth platform,, expanding mobile care delivery in the service region, coordinating non-traditional satellite sites for the provision of care, training and mentoring nurses and nursing students to provide perinatal services, hosting an annual Maternal Health forum to engage community members, and creating an annual Maternal Health Workshop specific to Virginia’s Rural Health Clinics. Population to be Served The primary population we aim to serve includes women of reproductive age (15–49), with a focus on those who are pregnant, postpartum, or planning to become pregnant. Our proposed service area in Southwest Virginia spans 1,314 square miles across fourteen cities and counties of the Cumberland Plateau, Lenowisco, and Mount Rogers health districts. Expected Outcomes The VRMOMS network will improve providers’ capacity to enhance care coordination, as well as co-develop and implement focused health interventions. Expected outcomes from the activities implemented under VRMOMS include 1) enhanced agency readiness to address perinatal health concerns through the use of CHWs, nurses, and doulas 2) improved knowledge of perinatal health best practices through tailored trainings and educational opportunities for both providers and parents 3) increased professional support through the establishment of an ECHO and telehealth specialty care for regional health workers 4) improved maternal health outcomes for measures such as high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and postpartum depression 5) additional cost savings possibilities through expanded billing options and reduced burden of disease from improved perinatal care 6) enhanced organizational capacity to address individual patient needs 7) expanded data sharing among cross-sector organizations, and 8) strengthened organizational collaboration between state and regional stakeholders. VRHA is requesting a funding preference based on an established network history.
