Get the Facts

The Problem

Arkansas has one of the highest

maternal mortality rates in America.

  • Nearly all maternal deaths in Arkansas are preventable.

    Source

  • In 2020, more than 260 Arkansas babies died before reaching their first birthday.

  • One out of every 50 Arkansas moms requires hospitalization during pregnancy or postpartum.

  • Nearly half of Arkansas counties have no birthing facilities or obstetric providers.

  • One in six Arkansas counties has no hospital within a 30-minute drive.

  • Nearly half of babies in Arkansas are born on Medicaid.

  • Average infant care costs exceed $8,800 per year (about 30% of a single parent’s income) in Arkansas.

  • Two thirds of rural Arkansas counties are classified as childcare deserts.

    Source

  • Lack of childcare costs the state nearly $793 million annually in lost productivity.

  • Three out of four Arkansas workers have no access to paid leave, and two out of three are not covered by even unpaid FMLA protections.

The Solution

AIM's Resources
Pro-Mom Policies

In communities across Arkansas, new solutions are reshaping maternal health and economic opportunity—bridging care gaps, expanding support and strengthening outcomes for moms and babies. 

  • National Council on Teacher Quality

    The Natural State Delivers: How Arkansas Turned a Quiet Provision into a Landmark Paid Leave Policy

    Arkansas’s paid parental leave program for teachers originated as part of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s LEARNS Act, which was passed in 2023. The law served as a sweeping education reform package, raising teacher salaries, expanding literacy requirements, and introducing universal vouchers to low- and moderate-income families. Tucked within the bill was a less publicized provision: paid maternity leave for full-time public school employees—including teachers.

    Read the study

  • In 2023, the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 770,  extending maternity leave for state employees, with unanimous bipartisan support.

    This act extended maternity leave from 4 weeks to 12 weeks in a united effort to support the health and well-being of biological, adoptive and foster mothers and babies in Arkansas. 

    Read the article

  • In 2025, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas Legislature committed $45.3 million to improve maternal and infant health.

    Arkansas was also awarded a 10-year, $17 million federal CMS grant through the TMaH model to expand telehealth; access to doulas, midwives and community health workers; improve data systems; and strengthen whole-person care.

    Read the article

  • Heartland Forward launched the Maternal & Child Health Center for Policy and Practice in Bentonville to develop nonpartisan solutions and improve access to quality maternal care, especially in rural areas.

    Read the article

  • Excel by 8 launched The Arkansas Employer Toolkit designed to help employers understand an array of options to better support the childcare needs of employees.

    Read the article

  • A new UAMS/UA Hope-Texarkana partnership created a robust doula training pipeline, including over 100 hours of training, lactation support certification and six months of mentorship.

    UAMS also introduced:

    Mother & Infant Supply Kits for new moms at its Little Rock Medical Center, including essentials for infant care and safe sleep.

    CenteringPregnancy® group prenatal care in multiple locations, reducing access barriers and building peer support for expectant mothers.

    READ the article