Rural maternity and obstetrics management strategies program - DRH health is a private, non-profit rural community hospital located in duncan, oklahoma, the county seat of rural stephens county

The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration awarded Duncan Regional Hospital $999,204 under the Rural Maternity Obstetric Management Strategies Program (CFDA 93.912) on September 30, 2026, to establish a rural obstetric network serving pre-conception, prenatal, and postpartum women across Cotton, Grady, Jefferson, and Stephens Counties in Oklahoma.

Duncan Regional Hospital will deploy community health workers and care coordinators throughout rural health clinics and critical access hospitals in the four-county region to provide care coordination and navigation across the full perinatal continuum—preconception through postpartum services. The initiative addresses documented gaps in rural maternal care access: Cotton and Jefferson Counties are designated maternity deserts, Grady County is a low-access maternity service area, and all four counties are Health Professional Target Areas for maternity care. The project will build emergency obstetrics capacity and high-risk case management capability in rural areas while collaborating with payors on sustainable billing strategies.

The period of performance runs through September 29, 2030, with place of performance at Duncan, Oklahoma. Duncan Regional Hospital, a non-profit critical access facility, serves a four-county population of approximately 112,643 residents, including significant Native American and tribal populations. The award is one component of the Rural Healthcare Services Programs portfolio, which supports integrated rural health networks through grants of up to four years.

DRH health will build upon our established network history of collaboration to implement southwest oklahoma rural moms. Our project will serve pre-conception, prenatal and postpartum women living in rural cotton, grady, jefferson and stephens counties, home to a total population of approximately 112,643 residents. Much of oklahoma is a maternity care desert, and all four counties we serve are maternity care health professional target areas (mctas). Cotton, jefferson and stephens counties are hrsa-designated medically underserved areas. Cotton and jefferson counties are maternity deserts and grady county is a low access maternity service area. Women in our region are more likely to face challenges to perinatal health care access, and healthy pregnancies and deliveries. The purpose of our project is to establish a rural obstetric network to provide comprehensive maternal care services and promote optimal maternal outcomes. Our goals are to implement an integrated maternal service delivery network spanning four rural counties; provide care coordination and navigation to help women access preconception, prenatal, pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum services; build emergency obstetrics and high-risk case management capacity in rural areas; and collaborate with payors to optimize innovative billing strategies and sustain the program. To achieve our goals, we will deploy a network of community health workers and care coordinators throughout rural areas at rural health clinics, and rural and critical access hospitals. Staff will be dedicated to engaging patients at all phases of the perinatal continuum to ensure pregnant and postpartum mothers have access to comprehensive, coordinated perinatal care throughout the prenatal, labor and delivery, birthing and postpartum period. We will assess patients' needs to identify risk factors for maternal mortality and other adverse outcomes, and connect patients to services and supports to reduce risks. Collaborating with norman regional health system perinatal center of excellence, we will deliver training and expertise to build readiness to respond to obstetric emergencies in rural and critical access maternity desert hospitals that lack birth facilities. DRH health qualifies for funding priority 1 for networks with a history of collaboration for governmental or privately funded healthcare services projects. DRH health and our partners have collaborated for more than ten years on health care projects including an accountable care organization. DRH health also qualifies for funding priority 2 for the top 10 states with the highest average mcta scores. The proposed rural moms program will serve cotton, grady, jefferson and stephens counties, the proposed service areas within oklahoma, which is one of the states with the top 10 highest average mcta scores.