Heartland Forward has identified opportunities to improve mental health care across the heartland as we work to be a resource for states and local communities – supporting quality of life and overall economic success in the middle of the country. 

Research

• The Economic Case for Investing in Maternal Health
  • “Mental health services tailored for the unique needs of pregnant and postpartum women are indispensable in supporting their mental and emotional health during this transformative period. Additionally, timely and appropriate mental health care can bolster physical health, offering long-term wellness benefits.”
  • “Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) highlight mental health conditions, including suicide and overdose related to substance use disorder, as the leading underlying causes of maternal mortality, accounting for more than 23% of pregnancy-related deaths between 2017 and 2019.”

• Health Care Access in the Heartland
  •  “Good physical and mental health is an important economic development and a quality-of-life issue for rural America. It is key to having a happier and more productive community and workforce, which, in turn, leads to a higher gross regional product (GRP), reducing the strain on state budgets related to overall health care spending.”
• Maternal Health Awareness: Improving Access to telehealth
  • “The advancement of telehealth helps bridge gaps in access to care and improves outcomes for pregnant women and their babies.”
  • “Telehealth allows for closer monitoring of high-risk pregnancies, with regular check-ins and remote monitoring of vital signs and fetal health.”

Programming

• The Heartland Health Caucus is a select group of leaders, including lawmakers and executive branch officials in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee to exchange new ideas in addressing pressing health issues and accelerating new and consistent policy approaches across states. In 2023 and 2024, this non-partisan group of health policy experts have identified mental health among  the top health issue facing the region.
  • One of the primary actions of the Heartland Health Caucus is to focus on making community health workers a sustainable workforce across the heartland. Community health workers like paraprofessionals can effectively target less complex cases in mental health by providing early intervention – with an opportunity to potentially cut health care costs down the road.