Rural Missouri Maternal Health and Infant Mortality Summit

The focus is to create a platform for rural community engagement to provide an exchange of knowledge, best practices and solutions for support and tools to have healthier moms and healthier babies who will build stronger communities.

Attendees will come away from the summit with a different understanding of how maternal health with a SUD affects our rural communities. Rural healthcare professionals will understand how and why the status quo, with regards to pregnancy and substance use, is problematic and likely continue to get worse without their support to treat this issue. 

1. Provide a foundation of maternal health and infant mortality with a focus on substance misuse in Missouri
2. Bring together unlikely partners to engage an exchange of non-traditional interventions and practices including medication assisted treatment.
3. Provide opportunities for networking and creative exchange of ideas on how rural communities can together combat these health issues. 

The intended audience for the summit includes but is not limited to the following: 

• Nurses, Physicians, Social Workers, Midwives, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Family Practitioners, Pediatricians, OB/GYNs, Nursery and Neonatal ICU, Administrators and Associate Staff, Public Health Professionals, Community Health Workers, Educators, Students, other healthcare professionals providing care to women and children.
• Professionals who influence local and state rural health governance, policy and funding. 
• Community advocates who touch the field of maternal health and substance misuse who want to know more about what can be done for these health issues.