The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith is set to receive $15 million in federal funding to build a new center for mother and infant health care, a project leaders say could transform maternal health care across the River Valley. Fallon Frank reports.
The funding was secured by Sen. John Boozman as part of the federal appropriations process. It will support the first phase of a nearly $30 million Center for Health Innovation on the UAFS campus. Chancellor Terisa Riley says the investment is deeply personal and urgently needed.
"This investment of congressionally directed funds is transformational for a campus like ours and our location in the state of Arkansas, and particularly for the River Valley region. It means that we're investing into the health of women and babies, which is an area where Arkansas obviously wants to make very significant investment."
Arkansas currently has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country — more than 92 pregnancy-associated deaths per 100,000 live births between 2018 and 2020, according to the state's Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Ninety-two percent of those deaths were considered potentially preventable.
Riley says education is where UAFS can make the biggest difference.
"As educators, we understand that the mortality rates for women and infants in our state are some of the worst in the nation. And part of the benefit of being an educator is that we can help to make significant change to some of those variables through educating the future health care workers."
The center will include three high-fidelity simulation labs — one for labor and delivery, one for postpartum care, and one focused on infant care. Students will be able to simulate the entire hospital experience.
"Students will literally be able to go from the stage of a mother entering a hospital all the way to the point where an infant and mother would be released from the hospital and simulate a variety of the types of birth processes and care that would be needed for individuals."
Riley says many nursing students don't get extended OB rotations during clinical training. The simulation labs will allow them to practice high-risk scenarios in a low-risk environment.
"We know that the maternal and infant mortality rates are really high in the state of Arkansas. And ultimately, getting students into high-fidelity simulator labs where they can learn in what I'll call a kind of a low-risk environment — no one is going to be harmed if they make mistakes while they're learning in that environment."
The center will also focus heavily on interdisciplinary teamwork, something Riley says mirrors real hospital settings.
"The delivery of a baby and the care for that child and that mother typically requires an interdisciplinary team approach."
In addition to training students, the facility will host professional development for health care providers across the region. This includes partnerships with Mercy, Baptist Health and UAMS, all of which expressed support for the project. The center will also introduce a public-facing program called No Fear Delivery, designed to help expectant parents better understand the labor and delivery process. Riley says the idea comes from her own experience as a mother.
"There is nothing more important to me in my life than my four children. And knowing that we can provide the benefit of secure, healthy deliveries of babies — it really ensures the future, not just for the River Valley region, which is where my heart is and my home is, but also for the entire state of Arkansas. So it is personally incredibly joyful work."
Construction design is expected to begin this year, though a groundbreaking may not happen until 2027. University leaders say the $15 million allocation will build out the entire first floor of what they hope will become a comprehensive Center for Health Innovation, eventually expanding into other health care disciplines like respiratory therapy and extended reality training.
Riley says the long-term vision is simple: better trained health care professionals in every Arkansas community.
"I don't think you'd be able to go into a health care facility and have a health care worker who's lacked training in these areas. So ultimately, I think anywhere you go for care, you could know that they've had the very best training and education at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, for the River Valley and for families across the state."
University leaders say this investment could mean safer births, stronger health care teams and better outcomes for the next generation.
For Ozarks at Large, I'm Fallon Frank.
Fallon Frank is a student reporter with Ozarks at Large, focusing on maternal and women's health in Arkansas. Funding for her reporting is supported by the Women's Giving Circle with the University of Arkansas.
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