The Department of Health and Human Resources awarded CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs (Ark.) the largest grant it has ever received, The Sentinel-Record reported Nov. 29.
The $4 million grant is aimed at addressing the state's high maternal and infant mortality rates, the report said. The state suffered 7.38 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2020, the third-highest rate in the nation.
The hospital will use the grant to start a program that creates a rural maternal healthcare network across 11 counties, with CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs at the center. Those in the program's targeted rural areas who reach 28 weeks of pregnancy are considered high risk simply because of where they live, the report said.
If the program does reduce the number of high-risk pregnancies in those areas, it could mean millions saved in preterm birth costs, the report said.