LITTLE ROCK — Nurses at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) began distributing Mother & Infant Supply Kits this month to mothers of newborns at the UAMS Health Medical Center in Little Rock.
The kits contain items to support infant health and safety, development and safe sleep practices. Kits include baby shampoo, baby wipes, diapers, diaper rash ointment, nursing pads, socks, sleep sacks and thermometers, among other things.
After a pilot program at UAMS to determine most effective system for distribution, the Arkansas Center for Women & Infants’ Health at UAMS will gradually begin distributing the supply kits to the state’s other 33 birthing centers, keeping in mind each community’s needs. The kits are expected to be available at all Arkansas birthing hospitals by the end of the summer.
The funds to create the center were part of a legislative package championed by Arkansas’ Sen. John Boozman and approved in March 2024.
“The senator has been an amazing ally in our efforts to improve Arkansas’ high infant and maternal mortality rates,” said Nirvana Manning, M.D., professor and chair of the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “The funding that he has secured for Arkansas will help us save lives of women and children in our state.”
The center serves as an umbrella organization that includes many of UAMS’ statewide efforts to combat maternal and infant mortality. The center was created to bring together UAMS’ evidence-based programs, education and partnerships with health care providers and community organizations. Designed to address the unique needs of women in Arkansas, the center’s mission is to ensure that every woman has access to the care and resources needed to ensure healthy pregnancies, safe births and thriving infants, as well as necessary support in the postpartum period.
On Feb. 1, the center began supplying all postpartum moms at UAMS with “I GAVE BIRTH” bracelets after delivery.
The bracelets serve as a visual cue to health care providers, emergency responders and others in the community that the women have recently given birth and are still at risk of complications. Patients are asked to wear the bracelets for at least six weeks after delivery, as most maternal deaths occur in this early postpartum period.
So far given out only at UAMS, each bracelet has a QR code with a link to videos and educational information for moms and families, as well as other resources in Arkansas.
“We are starting at UAMS to make sure we have our processes in order before taking on new hospital systems,” said Manning. “We are committed to implementing this at every delivering hospital in Arkansas to ensure mothers and infants have all the resources they need to successfully navigate the postpartum period.”
The third phase of the project, the Proactive Postpartum Support Call Center, is tentatively scheduled to begin in May.
Its purpose is to ensure that postpartum women receive timely support and care coordination. Teams from the center will make direct calls to all postpartum moms to reinforce key health information, identify warning signs of postpartum health issues and address barriers to care.
In addition, a nurse will call each new mother in the days after delivery. The nurse can discuss any postpartum concerns involving physical recovery, emotional well-being and infant care, Manning said, as well as postpartum needs that go beyond health care. These could include help with obtaining diapers, formula, housing, insurance, lactation support, mental health services or follow-up care.
“We could not be more excited to bring these needed resources to our state,” Manning said. “We are so thankful for Senator Boozman’s support and look forward to seeing Arkansas be one of the safest states in which to have a baby.”
For more information about the center, visit www.myarkansasbirth.org.
