Podcast explores how rural leaders invest in maternal healthcare workforce

In the second part of a three-part American Hospital Association podcast, rural health leaders discuss their efforts to preserve maternal care by creating new workforce pathways and investing in training. Baldwin-based Western Wisconsin Health collaborates with nearby colleges to host midwifery students and expose them to rural medicine. It mentors middle school students and exposes high school students to maternal health careers. Western Wisconsin prioritizes team-based care, including certified nurse midwives, who provide prenatal, labor and delivery, postpartum and well-woman care. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is launching the state’s first publicly funded nurse-midwifery education program to expand access to midwifery services across rural Arkansas. Separately, the AHA launched the first Better Health for Mothers and Babies Awareness Week from Sept. 28-Oct. 2.