WEBINAR | The MOTHeRS Project: Maternal Outreach through Telehealth for Rural Sites

Sy Atezaz Saeed, MD, MS, FACPsych, Professor and Chair Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Brody School of Medicine. Women face significant challenges in accessing comprehensive, affordable, high-quality maternal and mental health care, especially in rural areas that are characterized by high unemployment, poverty, significant minority populations, and geographic barriers that complicate access to care. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified health disparities, especially in maternal health among expectant mothers in rural Eastern North Carolina. These mothers faced increased risks due to limited access to prenatal care for high-risk pregnancies, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, heightened mental health issues, and the impact of social determinants of health.

The MOTHeRS Project implemented a multidisciplinary telehealth service integrating maternal-fetal medicine specialists, diabetes educators, nutritionists, psychiatrists, and other health care professionals into rural obstetric clinics. This model helped manage patients in clinics closer to their homes, minimized the need for travel, and brought specialized care directly to underserved communities. Implementation of telehealth services in this project reduced travel for high-risk patients by over 434,000 miles and facilitated 2,845 patient visits, including behavioral health interventions. Moreover, the project screened 41,229 patients for food insecurity and addressed food insecurity by distributing 888 medically-tailored food bags to high-risk pregnant women. Our experience highlights the importance of strengthening multidisciplinary care coordination, investing in human service programs, and addressing workforce issues to enhance care delivery.

Scottsdale Institute’s 2025 Population Health, Access & Primary Care Innovation Summit