NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – More than $2.1 million was awarded to New Mexico by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to address maternal mortality and improve maternal health in New Mexico.
HRSA said the funding awards in New Mexico will support the key goals of the Biden-Harris Administration’s White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis and the work of leaders throughout New Mexico. The federal investment includes:
- A total of $1,000,000 to train and deploy more nurse midwives by supporting nurse midwifery program at University of New Mexico to grow the maternal health nursing workforce and expand access to care.
- An award of $981,300 to the New Mexico Department of Health to establish maternal health task forces with a focus on innovation and implementing strategies to improve maternal health service delivery, such as sending mobile health units to areas with fewer maternal health providers and ensuring more hospitals have equipment and safety protocols in place to save lives during delivery.
- A total of $170,233 to the New Mexico Department of Health to help new mothers and their families navigate the Medicaid redetermination process associated with the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
According to HRSA, the United States’ maternal mortality rate has been among the highest of any developed nation in recent decades.
