the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a $3.9 million grant to the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. This funding will enhance primary care and rural health training opportunities, focusing on underserved communities across the state.

Changes to Medicaid are expected under a second Trump administration and a potential target for spending cuts is the Medicaid expansion that was allowed through the federal Affordable Care Act, according to a Nov. 27 analysis by KFF, an independent health policy research and information organization. Dr. Derksen quoted.

Analyses by the Maternal Mortality Review committee have found that almost 90% of deaths associated with pregnancy in Arizona are preventable, and largely result from systemic issues such as a lack of access to perinatal care or social disparities, like unreliable housing or transportation. About 71 pregnant or postpartum women die in the state each year on average, with Black and Indigenous women overrepresented and rural deaths increasing.