When Ieshia Thomas walked into the Central Arkansas Women’s Expo at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds in the summer of 2024, she was six months pregnant and looking for answers. After listening to Kalena Jones, Director of Community Health Programs at Baptist Health, speak on a panel about maternal health resources, Thomas approached her immediately and asked for support. Within a week, she had her first meeting scheduled with Nikki Nichols, a community outreach worker who would become her guide throughout pregnancy and motherhood.
“Nikki has been instrumental throughout my journey — from pregnancy to postpartum,” Thomas said. “She listens, gives me advice, and is even there to comfort and encourage me when I need it most.”
Thomas’ experience is exactly what Maternal Life360 programs aim to replicate for high-risk pregnant women across Arkansas. Maternal Life360 is a statewide program that provides intensive, evidence-based home-visiting services from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday, addressing comprehensive maternal health needs and breaking down barriers to quality care.
The program is currently implemented through three hospitals across Arkansas:
- Baptist Health, serving Pulaski and Saline counties;
- St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro, serving Craighead County; and
- White River Medical Center in Batesville, serving Independence County.
In December 2025, Arkansas Advocate reported that three more hospitals are working to become Life360 HOME providers: CHI St. Vincent in Hot Springs, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, based in Little Rock.
The Maternal Life360 program at Baptist Health supports 85 mothers with a remarkable 98% home-visiting compliance rate. In addition to providing home visiting services, Baptist Health’s holistic approach to maternal health care includes clinical care through the Baptist Health Pregnancy Clinic–Little Rock, educational resources, and technology-based navigation. The health system plans to expand Maternal Life360 services into Faulkner and Lonoke Counties.
Jones, who manages Baptist Health’s Maternal Life360 initiative, explained that the program uses the Vanderbilt-developed Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker (MIHOW) model to pair mothers with trusted outreach workers from their own neighborhoods. These community workers visit mothers monthly, offering tailored education, mental health support, nutritional guidance, and assistance with practical needs such as Medicaid and WIC enrollment.
“Through these components, we fully anticipate a reduction in obstetrical and pregnancy-related complications, preterm births, and NICU admissions because we monitor women continuously through their pregnancies,” Jones said, noting that they’ve already observed a reduction in cesarean sections.
Maternal Life360 HOMEs are a direct response to recommendations from the Strategic Committee on Maternal Health, which involved numerous stakeholders working together to propose improvements to maternal health outcomes in Arkansas. The program is integrated into ARHOME (Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me), Arkansas’s Medicaid expansion initiative.
Related: Investing in Moms and Babies Means Investing in Arkansas’s Future
Additional legislative support, such as Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act of 2025, has further strengthened the program’s effectiveness. The Act allows mobile health units to perform ultrasounds directly in communities, overcoming a barrier to prenatal care access.
For mothers like Thomas, the impact extends far beyond medical care. She received nutritional support, mental health therapy, child care recommendations, and daily personalized check-ins that built accountability and confidence. She credits her community outreach worker for serving as a companion and guide through the daunting experience of becoming a first-time mother.
“Ms. Nikki really is in tune with me, making sure that I’m OK. The mom has to be OK so the child can be OK,” Thomas said. “This program has been very impactful — from helping my mental state to offering support for seeking better education or employment. You don’t have to figure it out yourself; they are genuinely there to help you.”
With her son, Chance, recently celebrating his first birthday, Thomas said the past year has helped her grow as both a mother and a woman. As she begins the second year of the Baptist Health MIHOW home visiting program, she hopes to continue building supportive routines, nurturing her child’s development, and creating balance in her life.
“Becoming a mom has been the most beautiful and challenging transition of my life,” Thomas said. “And the MIHOW program has been one of my biggest sources of support throughout it.
“As I look ahead to another year in the program, my hope is to continue growing into the kind of mother I want to be. I feel confident that I can keep building a strong foundation for both me and my child.”
Maternal Life360 was shaped through statewide collaboration between policy leaders, hospitals, and community partners working toward better maternal health in Arkansas. It reflects Excel by Eight’s priorities for maternal health and supported families by showing how evidence-based home visiting can surround mothers with the care and connection they need for their children to have a healthy start.
To enroll in the Maternal Life360 HOME program at Baptist Health, please contact the Baptist Health home visiting team at 501-202-4099 or mihow@baptist-health.org. Additional information about Maternal Life360 is available at ar.gov/life360.
