Why Rural Maternal Health?

Strong maternal health systems are essential to the future of rural Texas. Yet rural communities continue to face significant challenges in accessing maternal and primary care. These challenges require coordinated action across health care, public health, community, academic, philanthropic, and other sectors.

Coming Soon: 2026 Rural Texas Maternal Health Rescue Plan 2nd Edition

Following the 89th Texas Legislature, the Assembly reconvened in 2026 to assess progress and consider what comes next. The 2026 Rescue Plan builds on that foundation, documenting progress across the original priorities and advancing a longer-term vision for rural maternal health: a coordinated, multi-year effort spanning the full maternal health continuum, from preconception and preventive care through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and the period between pregnancies.

2025 Rural Texas Maternal Health Rescue Plan

In 2024, more than 40 organizations came together through the assembly to develop consensus-driven state policy priorities for rural maternal health, ranked as code red, critical, or essential. Their work shaped the 2025 Rescue Plan, which identified 12 shared priorities. Lawmakers enacted three of the four code red priorities in whole or in part.

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About the Assembly

The Rural Texas Maternal Health Assembly brings together leaders from across rural health care and beyond to identify practical, consensus-driven opportunities to strengthen maternal health services, workforce, infrastructure, and outcomes across rural Texas. It is convened by Texas A&M Rural & Community Health Institute, Texas Academy of Family Physicians, Texas Health Institute, Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals, and Texas Association of Community Health Centers.

With special appreciation to Helen Kent Davis, Principal, HKD Associations, RMHA senior policy advisor, and generous support from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation.

For additional information, please contact: communications@texashealthinstitute.org.Â