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a cce s s H ea l t h N ews . n e t M a rc h 2 0 2 6 Volume 11 | Issue No. 104 20 Since opening in November 2023, The MaIH Center has delivered comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care to families who otherwise might not have access. The center provides: • Doula and midwifery services that support expectant parents through pregnancy, labor, and postpartum recovery, with a primary focus on rural families in Lafaye e County and surrounding areas. To date, nearly 140 expectant parents have received doula support, and whole-person maternal care – reinforcing the Center's role as a trusted resource in the community. • Educational programming to help families understand their birth options, create birth plans, and navigate pregnancy-related health concerns. • Essential baby supplies, including diapers, clothing, and car seats, through partnerships such as Happy Bo oms. The Center has distributed more than 5,100 diapers to families in need. • More recently, The MaIH Center has partnered with a rural-based mental health care provider that offers counseling services on site for birthing people during prenatal and postpartum stages. M ore than a year after its launch, The Maternal and Infant Health (MaIH) Center in Lexington, Missouri, continues to be a critical resource for expectant parents in Lafaye e County and in urban areas in Missouri and Kansas. Established by Altruism, Inc., a 501 (3) non-profit, to address maternal health disparities, the Center provides whole-person care— offering prenatal education, doula and midwifery support, postpartum services, and essential supplies such as diapers, car seats, and clothing. Missouri has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the U.S., and the crisis is especially severe in rural areas. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, nine of the 10 Missouri counties with the highest infant mortality rates are rural, where the absence of adequate health care services puts expectant parents at greater risk. For many families in rural Lafaye e County, the nearest OB-GYN is more than 45 minutes away, making consistent prenatal and postpartum care difficult to access. The MaIH Project launched in 2022 as a pilot project in the Kansas City area. A year later, The MaIH Center, a pregnancy center, was established to provide relationship-based maternal care in Lafaye e County. Now, more than a year later, staff members and partners reflect on its progress, ongoing challenges, and the work ahead. aH Altruism, Inc. and The MaIH Center Push Forward as Barriers Grow Published in March 2025

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