The United States has a higher maternal mortality rate than any other developed nation, and Arkansas’s rate is the worst in the nation. Women of color in Arkansas are also twice as likely to die as White women from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson discusses the issues behind those statistics with Fox 16 news anchor Donna Terrell in a story originally broadcast Monday, Sept. 25.

The story looks at the issue of maternal mortality from multiple perspectives: statistical, clinical, and personal. Featured along with Dr. Thompson’s interview are comments from Dr. Kenneth Lambert, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff, who discusses the importance of prenatal and postpartum care, and Arkansas mom Chrissy DeClue, who describes her experience with a life-threatening postpartum health issue.

Dr. Thompson says in his interview that Arkansas’s high maternal mortality numbers have many causes and that reversing them will require “a holistic approach,” not a single solution. For a look at what that holistic approach could include, see our “9 Points on a Healthy Birthing Journey” infographic, and find more resources on our Maternal and Infant Health page.