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"It’s more like gambling than it is health care," said one woman about infertility treatments, "because you’re wagering significant amounts of money... and you might come out with nothing."
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Jamaa Birth Village plans to open satellite midwifery birthing locations across Missouri next year. Patients can receive midwifery and doula care and social support services in areas with few options for maternity care.
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The number of severe complications during labor and delivery has increased for Kansas moms. For moms of color or women enrolled in Medicaid, complications are even more common. One of the state’s Medicaid contractors is now covering doula services as a way to help.
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A new study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children was underutilized. In 2021, it served only about half the number of people that qualified.
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Infant mortality in Missouri went up 16% between 2021 and 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Missouri was one of only four states that showed a significant rise.
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Maternal mortality rates in the U.S. are increasing, and Black mothers are at an even greater risk. EleVATE, a group prenatal care program at University Health in Kansas City, aims to improve the positive outcomes of at-risk individuals.
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Postpartum depression affects approximately one-in-seven women and one-in-10 men. This fall, a newly approved medication could change how patients experiencing perinatal or postpartum mood and anxiety disorder are treated.
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Between 2018 and 2020, more than 200 women in Missouri died during pregnancy or in the year after giving birth, according to a state health department report released this week. The number of deaths from suicide and firearms increased, and Black women were three times as likely to die as their white counterparts.
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In Missouri, maternal mental health conditions are the No. 1 cause of pregnancy-related deaths. According to a state-commissioned review, all mental health-related maternal deaths were deemed preventable. But Missouri's government has largely failed to respond to the crisis.
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Black maternal mortality in Kansas now exceeds neighboring states, new research finds, and the state saw one of the greatest increases in mortality for Indigenous mothers.
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For two years, federal funds have been available for states to extend postpartum health care from two months to a full year for moms on Medicaid. The policy is popular across the Midwest, with Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska all adopting an extension. Iowa remains hesitant.
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Mortality rates for Kansas City mothers and infants, especially in Black and brown communities, are well above the national average. So local groups are stepping outside the traditional health care system to bridge the gap. Plus: The leaders of a small southeast Kansas hospital say the only way to keep it from closing is to cut back on services.