Arkansas has among the highest rates of maternal mortality, pre-term birth, and low birth weight in the US. The PeRinatal IMpRovement of Outcomes and Safety for Everyone (PRIMROSE) project partners with stakeholders on core activities, described below, to contribute to reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in Arkansas and improve the state’s national ranking for maternal health.
The primrose is a native wildflower commonly seen across Arkansas, and its name derives from the Latin word “primus,” because it is one of the first flowers to bloom in Spring. Healthy birth is also a “prime” requirement for a healthy population, and the PRIMROSE acronym emphasizes the foundational importance of perinatal health for the state of Arkansas.
Core PRIMROSE Activities
Maternal Health Community of Practice
The Arkansas Maternal Health Community of Practice is co-chaired by William Greenfield, MD, Medical Director for the Family Branch of ADH, and Zenobia Harris, DNP, a community health nurse and Director of the Arkansas Birthing Project. The goal of the Community of Practice is to increase awareness, coordination, and collaboration among a broad group of maternal health stakeholders from across Arkansas. Presentations from quarterly Community of Practice meetings are available for download below.
Expanding Access to Group Prenatal Care
CenteringPregnancy (CP) is a group prenatal care model that combines health assessment, health education, and social support. While CP is one of the few interventions proven to reduce preterm birth and increase breastfeeding among disproportionately-impacted populations, it has not been available to most maternity patients in Arkansas. PRIMROSE is working to expand access to and implementation of CP across the state. Learn more about CenteringPregnancy or contact Kelly Conroy, Senior Director of Mobile Health, if you are interested in partnering in implementing group prenatal care.
Obstetric Emergency Preparedness
Most Arkansas counties do not have a labor & delivery unit, and emergency departments are often the first source of care when a maternal complication arises. PRIMROSE is supporting the Arkansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative to train emergency medicine providers on the recognition and management of complications during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Any ED in Arkansas can host this free training, which is a continuing education opportunity for eligible staff. Learn more about ARPQC’s obstetric emergency preparedness initiative or contact Lauren Peña, Education & Communications Manager, to schedule a training.
Arkansas Maternal Health Scorecard
Maternal health stakeholders expressed interest in a scorecard aggregating important metrics for health services delivery, public health surveillance, and consumer decision-making. Dr. Güneş Koru, Director of Public Health Informatics at UAMS, is leading the ongoing development of the Arkansas Maternal Health Scorecard. The state-level scorecard provides information to support awareness and advocacy for maternal health in Arkansas. The public can access the Scorecard here.
PRIMROSE Partners
PRIMROSE Team
PRIMROSE is led by an interdisciplinary team from UAMS with expertise in clinical care, public health programs, evaluation research, informatics, and health policy. Project activities engage providers, patients, community members, and policymakers to work collaboratively to benefit mothers and families in Arkansas.
- Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, PhD, PI/Project Director
- Nirvana Manning, MD, Co-PI/Medical Director
- Güneş Koru, PhD, Co-PI/Informatics Director
- Luann Racher, MD, Co-I/Simulation Lead Faculty
- Clare C. Brown, PhD, Co-Investigator
- Krista Langston, MBA, ICHI Executive Director of Community Programs
- Kelly Conroy, RN, ICHI Senior Director of Mobile Health
- Tanvangi Tiwari, MPP, Senior Data Analyst
- Rachel S. Purvis, PhD, PRIMROSE Program Manager
- Lauren Peña, RN, Education & Communications Manager
Community of Practice Meetings
| Date | Topics/Presenters | Slides |
| 5/18/2023 | Community of Practice Co-Chairs | Download |
| 8/17/2023 | Ujima Maternity Network | Download |
| 11/16/2023 | Arkansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics AR MOMS Program CHI St. Vincent Hospital | Download |
| 2/8/2024 | Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Dept. of Human Services Infectious Diseases Program, Arkansas Dept. of Health | Download |
| 5/16/2024 | In-Person Spring Forum | Download |
| 8/29/2024 | Arkansas Center for Health Improvement Arisa Health | Download |
| 11/21/2024 | Arkansas Surgeon General & the Deputy Director for Public Health Programs Office of Public Health Informatics/PRIMROSE Project, UAMS | Download |
| 4/10/2025 | Maternal Life360 HOME Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me (ARHOME) Healthy Start Home Visiting, UAMS Institute of Community Health Innovation | Download |
PRIMROSE Media Coverage
Selected news articles and interviews about the PRIMROSE project are linked below:
- Article in Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (My Ly, December 24, 2024)
- Television interview with Arkansas Week PBS (December 13, 2024)
- Television interview with KATV Little Rock (December 2, 2024)
- Article in Arkansas Business Weekly (Arkansas Business Staff, September 28, 2022)
- Article in Becker Hospital Review (Nathan Tucker, September 26, 2022)
PRIMROSE Reports and Publications
Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, Tanvangi Tiwari, Dawn Brown, Nirvana Manning, William Greenfield, Maternal mortality review committee findings: Awareness and recommended dissemination strategies in Arkansas, AJOG Global Reports (2024), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xagr.2023.100306.
Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, Paige Newman Chargois, Tanvangi Tiwari, Clare C. Brown, William Greenfield, Güneş Koru, A Descriptive Assessment of Public Maternal Health Dashboards in the United States, Journal of Medical Internet Research. 05/06/2024:56804 (forthcoming/in press) DOI: 10.2196/56804 URL: https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/56804.