ProgramsNYU Wagner Capstone: Health Management & Policy (Fall 25' to Spring 26')ProjectsPerinatal Care in the Southern Coalfields: Opportunities to Combat ...

Project Title: Perinatal Care in the Southern Coalfields: Opportunities to Combat Maternal Deserts in West Virginia

Southern West Virginia Health System

Details
Project Title Perinatal Care in the Southern Coalfields: Opportunities to Combat Maternal Deserts in West Virginia
Project Topics Community Organization and Social Action Political Organization, Policy Change, and Advocacy Public Administration Research, Analysis, Evaluation
Skills & Expertise Academic & Research Writing Communications Cost Benefit Analysis Data Data Collection Data Engineering Data Visualization General Research Services Implementation Market Research PowerPoint Presentation Design Presentations Program Project Qualitative Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Stakeholder Technical Writing and Documentation Vulnerability Assessment Wireless Communication
Project Synopsis: Challenge/Opportunity
Southern West Virginia Health System (SWVHS), a federally qualified health center serving seven rural counties in one of the nation’s most under-resourced maternity deserts, seeks to strategically expand into prenatal, maternity, and postnatal care. With barriers including long travel distances, generational distrust of new providers, lack of OB/GYN and midwife services, and a declining population base, SWVHS is ready to explore models that could help build sustainable, community-trusted maternal health infrastructure.

The opportunity is twofold: (1) evaluate the feasibility of launching maternal care services at SWVHS, and (2) provide a strategic roadmap that integrates national best practices and local realities. This will support SWVHS in establishing sustainable and accessible care models, such as community-based midwifery, telehealth OB services, medically tailored food delivery, and mobile prenatal outreach—critical for improving health outcomes in underserved, multigenerational communities. 
Project Synopsis: Activities/Actions Required
  •  Conduct a policy and funding landscape review, with a focus on West Virginia and comparable rural regions
  • Identify scalable models (e.g., midwifery, birth centers, community health workers, remote monitoring, mobile prenatal clinics)
  • Explore workforce and licensure opportunities (e.g., Medicaid reimbursement for doulas, scope-of-practice rules for midwives)
  • Interview stakeholders and synthesize community- and provider-level barriers to access
  • Develop a phased implementation roadmap, including cost, regulatory, and personnel considerations
Project Synopsis: Expected Results
A successful engagement will provide SWVHS with a high-quality feasibility study that supports long-term investment in maternal care services. Ideal outcomes include:

  • A clearly articulated 3–5 year strategic vision for maternal health expansion
  • A map of policy advocacy levers and regulatory changes that would enable success
  • Financial and human capital needs assessment
  • Presentation-ready briefings for internal and external stakeholders

Project Timeline

Touchpoints & Assignments Date Type

Program Kickoff

 Sep 12 2025 Event

Teams

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