About ADH

Mission Statement To protect and improve the health and well-being of all Arkansans. Vision Statement Optimal health for all Arkansans to achieve maximum personal, economic and social impact. What is public health? One definition – from a 1988 report by the Institute of Medicine’s “The Future of Public Health” – is this: “Public health is the science and the art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and organizing community efforts to do the following: keep the environment clean, control communicable infections, educate individuals in personal hygiene (like hand washing for example), organize medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis and treatment of disease, and develop the social machinery to ensure everyone a healthy

The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), specifically the Family Health Section in the Center for Health Advancement, is responsible for carrying out the Title V Maternal & Child Health (MCH) Block Grant functions. As a recipient of the federal block grant, Arkansas is required to complete a statewide needs assessment every five years and develop a plan of action for addressing priorities identified during the process. The goals of the ADH and the Arkansas Department of Human Services (ADHS) are to provide a document with quality data specific to Arkansas’s Maternal and Child Health (MCH) population groups that sets a foundation for addressing and evaluating progress on identified health priorities;

The PRAMS survey has two parts. There are core questions that CDC requires all states to ask, and there are questions that the individual states choose from a list of pretested questions prepared by the CDC or develop on their own. The core portion of the questionnaire includes questions about the following:  Data Decks Downloads Surveillance Reports

What is PRAMS?  The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is a joint research project between the Health Statistics Branch of the Arkansas Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  The PRAMS survey was started by the CDC in 1987 to provide states information they needed to reduce the number and percentage of babies that are low birthweight  and to prevent infant mortality.  The program was later expanded to support the CDC’s Safe Motherhood Initiative to help women have healthy pregnancies and deliver healthy babies.  Arkansas has been conducting the survey since 1997. Who is selected for the survey? Women who receive the survey are chosen from a sample

We can help you find helpful resources for your pregnancy and parenting. If you need maternity services or assistance with food for you and your baby and children, ADH local health units can assist you in applying for maternity, WIC, and other services. There is a health unit in each county. A list of all the health units can be found here. Find the one closest to you and make an appointment to get started with your pregnancy care. Other Helpful Resources for a Healthy Pregnancy and Parenting Tools: Information on Housing Information on Birth Defects

Women’s Health The Arkansas Department of Health offers prenatal care in numerous counties throughout the five public health regions of the state.  Services are provided at little or no cost and no one will be refused services due to inability to pay. In addition, clients have access to other Health Department services such as STI testing, family planning services and WIC. To locate the most convenient Local Health Unit for you, please check the listing in your area. The Perinatal Health Program’s goals are to ensure pregnant women have early access to prenatal care, decrease pregnancy-related diseases, premature births and to reduce the number of infant deaths in Arkansas. Prenatal Services include: Resources Count the

Being a parent is one of the most important jobs you will ever have. Here are some tools to help you along the way. CDC’s Milestone Tracker App From birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves. You can download a free app from the CDC called the Milestone Tracker App to track your child’s development. The app will help you watch for changes as your child grows so you can let your child’s doctor know if there are any problems. Download it free today on iOSExternal and AndroidExternal devices in English and Spanish.  Find a Doctor It is very important your baby has a

The first few years of a child’s life are filled with opportunities for development. These years will serve as the foundation for many of the child’s cognitive, behavioral, and self-regulatory capabilities as well as for their physical and mental health in childhood and beyond. Children who live in poverty or who are at-risk due to medical, developmental, socioeconomic, or other reasons face stressors that can impact normal growth and development.  Interventions that occur in these formative years help to mitigate factors that place children at risk of poor outcomes. Home visiting is one such intervention that has been shown to improve outcomes for mothers and children in many areas.  Voluntary

What is infant mortality? Infant mortality is a statistic that looks at the number of babies who die each year before they reach their first birthday. It is usually calculated as the number of babies who die out of every 1,000 babies who are born alive in a year. Infant mortality can be divided into neonatal mortality and post-neonatal mortality. When newborn babies die less than 28 days after they are born, it is called neonatal mortality. When babies die, who are older than 27 days but younger that one year, it is called post-neonatal mortality. Neonatal and post-neonatal mortality often have different causes, so it can be helpful to