One Mother at a Time: Ole Miss Pharmacy Assists Maternal Health Effort
Program expands access to prenatal services in underserved Mississippi communities
OXFORD, Miss. – Mississippi is experiencing a maternal and infant health crisis, and the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and its alumni are stepping in to help resolve it one patient at a time.
Lindsey Rayborn, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice, is working with Ole Miss alumna Amy Catherine Love Baggett, owner of Love's Pharmacy on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, to pilot a community pharmacy-based maternal health program called Medications Optimizing Maternal Safety, or MOMS.
The organizers hope to improve outcomes for mothers and babies in one of the nation's most underserved states.
"Community pharmacists bring knowledge, accessibility and trusted patient relationships that uniquely position them to support pregnant women that can change outcomes for mothers and babies across Mississippi," said Donna Strum, dean of the pharmacy school.
The program operates through the Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network of Mississippi, or CPESN Mississippi, a group of independent pharmacies focused on advanced patient care services beyond prescription dispensing.
"Community pharmacies are many times the front door to local health care infrastructure," Baggett said. "Patients see their doctors, on average, three to five times per year, but they see their pharmacist, on average, 35 times per year."
Mississippi ranks first nationally in the percentage of individuals living in maternal health care deserts, 23.6%. The state also has the highest infant mortality rate in the country at 9.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. Both prompted the Mississippi Department of Health to declare infant mortality a public health emergency in August 2025.
To help improve these statistics, community pharmacies are implementing the MOMS program to provide expectant mothers with free monthly prenatal vitamins, iron supplements and low-dose aspirin, when appropriate. The medications are packaged to promote routine use and are available by home delivery.
"Pharmacy teams conducted monthly check-ins that include screenings for non-medical drivers of health, along with trimester-specific assessments for vaccination needs, mental health and blood pressure," Rayborn said.
The teams include pharmacy-based community health workers, who collaborate with federally qualified health centers, county health departments, local providers and community organizations to coordinate care.
"We are proud to see Dr. Baggett, Dr. Rayborn and colleagues across the CPESN network implementing this program to make a meaningful difference for patients in our communities," Strum said.
The pharmacists and community health workers also address barriers that patients may experience.
"The most common barriers I've seen are transportation and inconsistent access to lines of communication, such as a working cell phone," Baggett said. "We have overcome this by sending CHWs out with the deliveries to complete the screenings in-home when we know they will be there."
The MOMS pilot launched in August 2025 with three pharmacies on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and serves 43 pregnant patients.
Participants have enrolled as early as five weeks gestation, with services continuing throughout pregnancy and beyond. The education and services that patients receive have included vaccine gap closures, initiation of aspirin therapy and education on fetal movement, safe sleep and car seat safety.
Rayborn also serves as a CPESN Mississippi network facilitator, where she has helped to assess early findings from the three pilot locations. The initiative is preparing to expand to 17 more pharmacies statewide.
She will also mentor other pharmacies as they launch the maternal health service model, which is designed to position community pharmacies as both providers of maternal health services and care coordinators in areas where traditional obstetric care is limited or unavailable.
"While this is incredibly disheartening to know how many Mississippians may struggle to have access to the obstetric care they need, I am glad to be a part of a team who is trying to do something about it," Rayborn said.
"Considering 88.9% of the U.S. population lives within 5 miles of a community pharmacy, CPESN Mississippi has been working with public health stakeholders across the state to address these significant health disparities."
The program is helping one mother at a time to quell the maternal health crisis.
"The first expecting mother enrolled is due any day now," Baggett said. "It is so rewarding to see her excited and prepared for this journey into motherhood knowing we have been able to be a small part of it."
By Marisa C. Atkinson and Natalie Ehrhardt
