The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded Avera $1 million per year over four years, according to an Oct. 4 news release. The funding is designed to increase access to obstetrics services and improve outcomes regarding pre-term labor, birthweight, and infant mortality in South Dakota.
The RMOMS program implements remote patient monitoring and telehealth, coordination between patients and existing resources to ensure access to statewide wraparound services, and a social determinants of health screening program. The program targets pregnant women in rural eastern South Dakota and surrounding tribal communities with significant barriers to healthcare services.
Clinical vice president of OB-GYN services at Avera, Kimberlee McKay, MD, said their primary goal is to see healthy moms and babies.
“For that to happen, moms need access to high-quality prenatal care and careful management of conditions such as high blood pressure and gestational diabetes, regardless of their ZIP code,” said Dr. McKay.
Dr. McKay also noted that Avera has successfully piloted the use of telehealth to monitor and consult with patients through a virtual monitoring program for gestational diabetes that began in 2016. According to the release, the program noted a 27 percent decrease in vaginal delivery complications and an 18 percent decrease in cesarean delivery complications.
