ROGERS – Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, Family Network and the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced the launch of Maternal Life360, a program designed to support healthier pregnancies, strengthen families and improve maternal and infant health through home visits from trained community outreach workers.
A blessing and launch celebration at Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers marked this special beginning for Maternal Life360. The event recognized the partnerships that made the program possible and celebrated a new resource designed to make a lasting impact on Arkansas families.
Arkansas has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. Notably, more than 69% of pregnancy-related deaths in Arkansas occur postpartum, and 94% of those deaths are preventable, according to the findings of the Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee. The Maternal Life360 program provides personalized support, education and connections to resources for expectant mothers and their families from pregnancy and up to a child’s second birthday. The Northwest Arkansas program will add to three others in the state – St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro and Baptist Health in Little Rock and North Little Rock.
Maternal Life360 pairs families with trained community outreach workers who provide in-home education on healthy pregnancy, childbirth preparation, postpartum recovery, newborn care and child development. Participants also receive assistance accessing transportation, community resources, diapers and wipes, parent support groups and other services available in English, Spanish and Marshallese.
“At Mercy, we are called to care for the whole person, and that includes supporting mothers and babies before, during and after birth,” said Whitney Tolbert, Mercy Northwest Arkansas vice president of women’s and children’s services. “What makes this program especially meaningful is its focus on the whole person and the whole family. Through personalized support and meaningful connections, Maternal Life360 creates a stronger foundation for lifelong health and well-being.”
The initiative brings together healthcare providers, community organizations and tate resources to address factors that can influence maternal and infant well-being, including access to care, health education, social support and basic needs.
“One of the most important aspects of this program is the relationship we build with families,” said Audrey Zavaleta, executive director of Family Network in Springdale. “By offering long-term support through home visits, both prenatally and postnatally, we help ensure that no mom slips through the cracks. We equip moms and families with education, resources, and ongoing support they need to experience healthy pregnancies, births, and postpartum periods – laying the foundation for their children to thrive.”
The Maternal Life360 team will monitor and continuously improve key program and health
outcome measures. These include enrollment and retention rates, length of enrollment, number of home visits completed, health-related social needs screening rates, positive screening results, community resources received and the completion of person-centered action plans and milestone goals. Partners will also track important health indicators such as prenatal and postpartum visit attendance, well-child visits, emergency department visits among mothers, maternal hospitalizations, cesarean-section rates, neonatal intensive care unit stays, preterm births, low birthweight infants, infant mortality and maternal mortality.
“By bringing together state agencies, healthcare providers and community organizations, the Maternal Life360 program creates a coordinated approach that can help improve outcomes for mothers, babies and families across our state,” said Elizabeth Pitman, director of the Division of Medical Services within the Arkansas Department of Human Services. “We’re proud to continue our focus on improving maternal health through this program and through related efforts like raising rates for providers, establishing presumptive eligibility for pregnant women and allowing Medicaid reimbursement for doulas and lactation consultants.”
The program reflects a shared commitment among Mercy, Family Network and DHS to address both medical and social factors that influence health and to provide sustained support during the critical pregnancy and postpartum period and the first two years of life.