{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T19:18:14Z","timestamp":1792783094435,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791158400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791158400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"name":"HRSA","award":["1U7AMC46846\u201001\u201003"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1U7AMC46846\u201001\u201003"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/0121dpf30","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Matern Child Health J"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Alabama ranks among the worst states for maternal and infant health outcomes, with maternal mortality rates rising to 56.9 per 100,000 live births between 2018 and 2021. Contributing factors include rural hospital closures, limited obstetric care access, high prevalence of chronic conditions, and lack of Medicaid expansion. To address these disparities, the Alabama Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ALPQC) launched statewide listening sessions to incorporate patient perspectives into maternal health improvement efforts. This study aimed to (1) capture lived experiences of individuals during prenatal, labor\/delivery, and postpartum periods; (2) identify barriers and facilitators to maternal health care access and quality in Alabama; and (3) inform clinical, programmatic, and policy strategies to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity through patient-centered approaches.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Description<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Nine \u201cWhat Moms Want\u201d listening sessions were conducted across Alabama from July to September 2024. Community organizations hosted sessions to ensure geographic and demographic representation, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Participants included mothers, fathers, and support partners. Sessions followed a structured guide addressing prenatal, labor\/delivery, and postpartum experiences.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Assessment<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Over 250 participants shared experiences, with 75.8% identifying as Black. Six major themes emerged: (1) access and continuity of care, (2) education and resources, (3) self-confidence and empowerment, (4) communication and choice, (5) compassion and respect, and (6) gratitude.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Listening sessions revealed critical gaps and opportunities for patient-centered strategies to improve maternal health in Alabama. Findings underscore the value of qualitative data in shaping policy, clinical practice, and community engagement.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s10995-026-04328-2","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T17:52:34Z","timestamp":1791222754000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Maternal Health Community Engagement: Insights from Statewide Maternal Health Listening Sessions in Alabama"],"prefix":"10.1007","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9584-8113","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jessica T.","family":"Chambliss","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kristy C.","family":"Plump","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Britta","family":"Cedergren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anne E.","family":"Brisendine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jouri","family":"Johnson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rhiannon","family":"Reed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Annie","family":"Glover","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matthew","family":"Fifolt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Martha S.","family":"Wingate","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"4328_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Ahmad, F. B., Cisewski, J. A., & Hoyert, D. L. (2025). Provisional maternal mortality rates. National Center for Health Statistics. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.15620\/cdc\/20250305011","DOI":"10.15620\/cdc\/20250305011"},{"key":"4328_CR2","unstructured":"Alabama Department of Public Health, Bureau of Family Health Services. (2022). Alabama maternal mortality review 2020\u20132021 annual report. Alabama Department of Public Health. https:\/\/www.alabamapublichealth.gov\/perinatal\/assets\/2020-2021-annual-mmr.pdf"},{"key":"4328_CR3","unstructured":"Arnos, D., Kroll, E., Jaromin, E., Daly, H., & Falkenburger, E. (2021). Tools and resources for project-based community advisory boards: Community voice and power sharing guidebook. Urban Institute. https:\/\/www.urban.org"},{"key":"4328_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.4325","author":"Y Chen","year":"2025","unstructured":"Chen, Y., Shiels, M. S., Uribe-Leitz, T., Molina, R. L., Lawrence, W. R., Freedman, N. D., & Abnet, C. C. (2025). Pregnancy-related deaths in the US, 2018\u20132022. JAMA Network Open. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.4325","journal-title":"JAMA Network Open"},{"key":"4328_CR5","unstructured":"Declercq, E., & Zephyrin, L. C. (2025). Maternal mortality in the United States, 2025 (Issue Brief). The Commonwealth Fund. https:\/\/www.commonwealthfund.org\/publications\/issue-briefs\/2025\/jul\/maternal-mortality-united-states-2025"},{"key":"4328_CR6","unstructured":"Everette, T. D., Sathasivam, D., & Siegel, K. (2023). Transformational community engagement to advance health equity. Health Equity Solutions. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. https:\/\/www.shvs.org\/resource\/transformational-community-engagement-to-advance-health-equity\/"},{"key":"4328_CR7","unstructured":"Gibbs, A. (2025). U.S. pregnancy-related deaths continuing to rise: Study researcher says nation, which leads high-income peers in maternal mortality, needs better prenatal, extended postpartum care. The Harvard Gazette. https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2025\/04\/u-s-pregnancy-related-deaths-continuing-to-rise\/"},{"issue":"6","key":"4328_CR8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"381","DOI":"10.1097\/NMC.0000000000000183","volume":"40","author":"C Giurgescu","year":"2015","unstructured":"Giurgescu, C., & Templin, T. N. (2015). Father involvement and psychological well-being of pregnant women. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 40(6), 381\u2013387. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/NMC.0000000000000183","journal-title":"MCN: The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing"},{"key":"4328_CR9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.26099\/cthn-st75","author":"M Gunja","year":"2024","unstructured":"Gunja, M., Gumas, E. D., Mashitha, R., & Zephyrin, L. C. (2024). Insights into the U.S. maternal mortality crisis: An international comparison. Commonwealth Fund. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.26099\/cthn-st75","journal-title":"Commonwealth Fund"},{"key":"4328_CR11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hoyert, D. (2025). Health E-Stat 100: Maternal mortality rates in the United States for 2023. National Center for Health Statistics. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/data\/hestat\/maternal-mortality\/2023\/Estat-maternal-mortality.pdf","DOI":"10.15620\/cdc\/174577"},{"key":"4328_CR12","unstructured":"Kaiser Family Foundation (2024). Racial disparities in maternal and infant health: Current status and key issues. https:\/\/www.kff.org\/racial-equity-and-health-policy\/racial-disparities-in-maternal-and-infant-health-current-status-and-key-issues\/"},{"key":"4328_CR13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"31","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-68479-2_3","volume-title":"Engaged fatherhood for men, families and gender equality","author":"M Kotelchuck","year":"2021","unstructured":"Kotelchuck, M. (2021). The impact of father\u2019s health on reproductive and infant health and development. In M. Grau-Grau, M. las Heras, & H. R. Bowles (Eds.), Engaged fatherhood for men, families and gender equality (pp. 31\u201361). Springer. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3-030-68479-2_3"},{"issue":"11","key":"4328_CR14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2025","DOI":"10.1007\/s10995-017-2345-3","volume":"21","author":"M Kotelchuck","year":"2017","unstructured":"Kotelchuck, M., & Lu, M. (2017). Father\u2019s role in preconception health. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 21(11), 2025\u20132039. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10995-017-2345-3","journal-title":"Maternal and Child Health Journal"},{"key":"4328_CR15","unstructured":"March of Dimes. (2022). Nowhere to go: Maternity care deserts across the U.S. (2022 Report). March of Dimes. https:\/\/www.marchofdimes.org\/maternity-care-deserts-report-2022"},{"key":"4328_CR16","unstructured":"March of Dimes (2024). 2024 report card for Alabama: The state of maternal and infant health. https:\/\/www.marchofdimes.org\/peristats\/reports\/alabama\/report-card"},{"key":"4328_CR18","unstructured":"Rocha, A. (2024). OB-GYN: Hospital conversions in rural Alabama could undermine maternal care. 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Fatherhood and reproductive health in the antenatal period: From men\u2019s voices to clinical practice. https:\/\/thefatherhoodproject.org\/fatherhood-and-reproductive-health-in-the-antenatal-period-from-mens-voices-to-clinical-practice\/"}],"container-title":["Maternal and Child Health Journal"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s10995-026-04328-2.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s10995-026-04328-2","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s10995-026-04328-2.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T17:52:38Z","timestamp":1791222758000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/10.1007\/s10995-026-04328-2"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]]},"references-count":19,"alternative-id":["4328"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10995-026-04328-2","relation":{},"ISSN":["1092-7875","1573-6628"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1092-7875","type":"print"},{"value":"1573-6628","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]]},"assertion":[{"value":"11 December 2025","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"12 September 2026","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"5 October 2026","order":3,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.","order":1,"name":"Ethics","label":"Conflict of interest","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}}]}}