The Economic Case for Investing in Maternal Health.🤰This groundbreaking report delves into the status of maternal health in four states across the heartland region: Arkansas, Mississippi, Ohio and Louisiana. ⭐️Key findings: ● The impact of negative maternal health outcomes on the economy is significant. Undesirable outcomes from pregnancy cost the U.S. $165.3 billion in additional medical expenses and lost economic growth. For example, preterm births can cost up to $237,668 compared to $6,370 for a healthy full-term baby. ● An estimated $79 billion could be saved nationally if greater access to existing, cost-effective services like prenatal care, mental health care and Community Health Workers (CHWs) were made available. ● In the four states of focus in the report, births that occurred outside a mother’s county of residence cost up to $221 million in non-medical expenses, like transportation and lost wages, cumulatively each year—reflecting the disparity of regional health care infrastructures, availability of specialized maternity services and distances mothers must travel for care. So what is Heartland Forward going to do? 👀 In addition to releasing the detailed report, Heartland Forward is sharing a “Heartland Action Plan to Advance Maternal Health Outcomes.” The plan focuses on the following four areas of impact: ● Supporting and advocating for Community Health Workers ● Expanding access to telehealth ● Addressing workforce shortages across the health care industry ● Increasing transparency through data collection and evaluation #healthcare #maternalhealth
This morning, Heartland Forward released new research and action plan to help address maternal health. You can find the action plan and accompanying research using the link below! https://lnkd.in/eVJnGqC5
