UAMS Study to Address Maternal, Infant Deaths with $2.4 Million Federal Grant

By David Robinson

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will receive up to $2.4 million over the next four years to test prevention strategies for reducing high rates of maternal and infant deaths in the Arkansas Delta.

The grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will fund a combination of education, training, outreach and preventive health services focusing on Helena-West Helena, Lake Village and Pine Bluff. The initial $599,887 grant is for one year and must be renewed each year.

The collaborative effort led by BioVentures LLC at UAMS includes key partnerships with the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the UAMS Division for Academic Pathways and Workforce Partnerships.

UAMS Study to Address Maternal, Infant Deaths with $2.4 Million Federal Grant

UAMS' Stefanie Kennon-McGill, Ph.D., is leading the four-year study, which she hopes will deliver sustainable solutions to high maternal and infant death rates in the Delta. Arkansas has the highest maternal death rate in the U.S., and pregnant Black women die at nearly twice the rate as pregnant white women.