Rural health network’s first program seeks improved birth outcomes

The Missouri Ozarks Rural Health Network officially launched in January 2018 with its Great Expectations program, initially focusing on increasing access to comprehensive, coordinated maternity care and improved birth outcomes. Partners from Douglas, Ozark, Texas and Wright counties, supported by a grant from the Office of Rural Health Policy Rural Health Network, have seen immediate results from their coordinated efforts, organizers said.
Initial goals for MORHN include healthier moms, improved birth outcomes, fewer cesarean sections and fewer low birth weight babies, all of which will reduce the costs associated with high-risk deliveries, according to a recent news release.
Network partners include Missouri Ozarks Community Health, which operates a clinic in Gainesville, along with Options Pregnancy Center, Jordan Valley Community Health Center, Gainesville School District, Wright County Health Department, Ava School District/Parents as Teachers and Health Tran.
Additional healthcare partners will be added as MORHN defines future initiatives. MORHN director Rebecca Gann said the network “has created unlimited potential to improve healthcare in South Central Missouri. Improving birth outcomes in this four-county area is only our beginning. We are already starting to plan and prioritize additional gaps and needs for this region.”