Last week Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement and signed an executive order outlining a step-by-step plan for improving maternal health in Arkansas.
The plan includes expanded maternal healthcare access in Arkansas, increasing the percentage of women who access prenatal care, and creating a pilot program for improving maternal health in under-served counties.
It’s worth noting that Arkansas provides grant funding to pregnancy health organizations that help fulfill some of the governor’s maternal wellness goals.
As we have written before, many pregnancy resource centers provide everything from ultrasounds and pregnancy tests to prenatal and postnatal resources, medical referrals, and more — typically free of charge.
Last year Gov. Sanders signed Act 622 authorizing $1 million in state-funded grants for pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies, and social services agencies that provide material support to women with unplanned pregnancies.
To date the state has awarded nearly $500,000 to more than two dozen different pregnancy resource centers. The rest of the $1 million in grant funding is expected to be distributed between now and June 30.
Family Council was pleased to support passage of Act 622 last year, and we plan to work for passage of another appropriation measure at the Arkansas Legislature next month.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
