With passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) all but assured, Alabama’s congressional members are touting how it will enrich the lives of Alabamians.
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) was effusive in her praise on how the bill will benefit working families, “amounting to nearly $2,200 saved for the average Alabama household.”
Yellowhammer News further reported on how senators worked to ensure investments in rural health and gains for Medicaid would be included in the bill, saying,“The Senate amended the reconciliation legislation to create the Rural Health Transformation Program, a nationwide fund of $50 billion to be distributed across Fiscal Years 2026-2030.”
This amount does not count the other half of the national fund, which is awarded based on rural health care need.
Alabama health care is known for its low-rated outcomes, especially in infant and maternal health. So, while the provisions in the OBBB are all well and good, funding that is misappropriated or that rewards those same failed formulas is worse than no funding at all.
In May, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Hayleyville) spoke to these failures at a congressional appropriations hearing with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Aderholt lamented that despite the trillions poured into health care nationally, health outcomes, particularly in rural areas, have seen little improvement. “We need bold, innovative approaches – not simply more spending – to truly improve the health of our citizens,” Aderholt said.
Aderholt was encouraged by the fresh perspectives and reforms Kennedy is bringing to American health care. But while our politicians do their necessary things, the organizations making change happen in health care see these issues through a different lens.
WBRC Fox News 6 in Birmingham recently featured how midwives are making a difference, and why funding and awareness is critical to create health and cultural shifts that produce change which results in quality of life for all.
Jessica Thompson, co-founder and president of Safer Birth in Bama, recently confirmed in a conversation with me that political administrations hold little sway in how their organization works.
I will tell you that it wouldn't matter to me who was in office, as I always have hope, because my hope isn't put in that office and as a non-partisan organization, you know, our goal is to bridge the gap and get everyone working together, regardless of their opinions and thoughts, because there's so much going on out there.
Bridging that gap from maternal disparities to quality access and care has been the organization’s aim since its inception in 2015.
According to the Birth Injury Lawyer’s Group, Alabama ranks third in the nation for highest maternal mortality rate. The group studied findings from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) from 2018-2022, discovering that of the 290,226 births during that period, 112 mothers lost their lives during or shortly after pregnancy.
Midwifery works wonders to bridge this gap in care, but while state legislators have worked to enact policy changes that would support rural hospitals and address provider shortages, Alabama still ranks second-highest for midwife shortages, with only 63 certified midwives available to address well over 4,000 births annually.
Thompson explained:
Only 23 of 67 counties have a hospital offering labor and delivery services. Twenty-three out of 67, and there's several that have, you know, those same counties don't have access to obstetrics. So, there's no OB physician there as well, so you've got care deserts and some of those even struggle to keep family physicians.
The end result? Mothers and babies are at risk for diseases, injuries and death because of lack of pre- and post-natal care.
“I got a phone call from a family physician who lost her position in a rural county when their hospital shut their doors,” Thompson said. “And she said, can't you do something? And I said, ‘Well, why don't you brainstorm with me? Tell me what you think.’”
Thompson continued, "Her perspective was, ‘Oh gosh, you know what if these midwives just see a portion of my patients for prenatal care?’ Because we know in Alabama there's health risk that people are going to fall out of care. So, that early access to prenatal care is going to make a big difference."
That is only one county of those 44 counties which still lack care, but Thompson understands that any enterprise will only be successfully implemented one goal at a time, noting, “I had all these grand ideas and I've had to learn, you eat an elephant one bite at a time.”
Part of the goal is to see more care by midwife and other medical personnel mobilized. “[I]t’s encouraging what places like Shoals Women's Clinic [have] done," Thompson says. "As a mobile trailer, they're now offering certain types of care.”
To expand awareness and celebrate their work in the Shoals community, Safer Birth in Bama will host a Block Party on July 18 at the Singin’ River Brewing Co. in Florence.
“The Block party is more of an education awareness fund for the public,” Thompson explained, adding, "We partner with the WC Handy Festival to do this, so it's exciting. It's open to the public and we've got food trucks and fun, and there's gonna be a band, and we will have different educational things around for you to see on different easels and on the wall of the Singin’ River Brewing Co."
Held simultaneously with the community event is a ticketed Mom Prom fundraiser. The event was sold out, but Thompson’s team opened 25 more tickets.
It is a ladies’ night out for a cause. People come, and there's a grand prize…. There [are] 250 swag bags that go out to the first ones that come through the door. There’s a silent auction that’s open to the public, and it's a fun, fun time!
Thompson and Safer Birth in Bama are taking bites out of the elephant and encouraging the medical, wellness, and all community partners to conquer maternal disparities and improve outcomes for mothers and babies.
“What we do and what's been encouraging is you have people on the far left and the far right meet in the middle to come together for women's health,” Thompson said. "We're trying to increase access to care, which is going to improve outcomes. It's going to lessen our infant mortality rate. We don't want to be a failing state with The March of Dimes. It's kind of sad.”
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, As the Girl Turns, is an investigative journalist, author, opinion analyst, and contributor to 1819 News, Redstate, and other publications. Jennifer writes on Politics and Pop Culture, with occasional detours into Reinvention, Yoga, and Food. You can read more about Jennifer's world at her As the Girl Turns website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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