香蕉视频APP

Featured | Health Education and Human Sciences | NewsFebruary 04, 2026

$15M Federal Appropriation to Fund Center for Maternal and Infant Healthcare

Written By: Rachel Putman

The University of 香蕉视频APP 鈥� Fort Smith is set to receive $15 million in federal funding to construct and equip a state-of-the-art Center for Mother and Infant Healthcare, following congressional approval of key FY2026 appropriations bills.

The appropriation, secured by Sen. John Boozman as part of a broader federal package, will support the development of high-fidelity simulation labs and educational spaces on the ground floor of a new facility at UAFS, aimed at improving outcomes for mothers and infants in the River Valley. 

The center will be the first phase of a larger nearly $30 million capital project supporting a comprehensive Center for Health Innovation.

鈥淭his funding will help make important strides to strengthen critical aspects of maternal and infant care through the development of the Center for Mother and Infant Healthcare at UAFS,鈥� said Boozman. 鈥淏olstering the delivery of these services in the River Valley will reduce preterm births, save lives and improve health outcomes. I was proud to champion this project and will continue to advocate the productive use of taxpayer dollars for initiatives that benefit Natural State moms and babies as well as the communities that care for them.鈥�

"I am incredibly grateful to Senator Boozman for his continued support of the University of 香蕉视频APP-Fort Smith and the investment in health care in the River Valley. This facility will provide us with a meaningful place to educate our students and create an informed community of health care providers in western 香蕉视频APP," said Chancellor Terisa Riley.

The Center for Maternal and Infant Care

The $15 million allocation will enable UAFS to construct and equip 16,300 square feet on the ground floor of the two-story facility, including leading-edge equipment and high-fidelity simulation laboratories that will allow students and practicing clinicians to gain hands-on experience managing both routine and complex obstetric and pediatric care scenarios.

These laboratories will allow students to practice managing critical events such as postpartum hemorrhage, neonatal resuscitation, and pediatric emergencies鈥攕cenarios that are difficult to access during clinical rotations but crucial for developing safe, competent practitioners.

According to research published by Akalin and Sahin in 2020, obstetric simulation significantly decreases anxiety while improving psychomotor skills, self-confidence, and knowledge retention among nursing students. 

These labs will also allow offer students the opportunity to work across disciplines, creating training environments where future nurses, physicians, and social workers can collaborate as they would in real hospital settings.

鈥淭he simulation labs in the Center for Maternal and Infant Healthcare will enable students to experience high-risk maternal and newborn emergencies in a controlled, realistic environment before they encounter them in the hospital,鈥� said Dr. Paula Julian, Executive Director of the School of Nursing. 鈥淭hrough high-fidelity manikins, immersive scenarios, and interprofessional teamwork, students will practice recognizing early signs of complications such as postpartum hemorrhage, hypertensive crises, shoulder dystocia, and neonatal distress. They learn to prioritize interventions, communicate with the care team, and perform lifesaving skills without risk to real patients. This repeated, hands-on exposure builds clinical judgment, confidence, and rapid decision-making so graduates are prepared to act decisively and save the lives of mothers and infants at the bedside.鈥�

A 250-seat high-tech lecture hall, designed in a theater-style configuration, will support interdisciplinary education for students and the broader healthcare community. UAFS anticipates hosting classes, professional development workshops, industry conferences, interprofessional simulations, and collaborative demonstrations in the space, inviting healthcare partners such as Mercy, Baptist Health, and UAMS into the space, while sharing educational offerings with fellow educational institutions, including the 香蕉视频APP Colleges of Health Education, the PEAK Innovation Center, Carl Albert State College, and more.

The facility will also include an 80-seat seminar space that can be divided into smaller classrooms or breakout rooms. Designed with flexibility in mind, this environment will support everything from faculty-led instruction to small-group workshops.

This blend of simulation training and classroom instruction will empower a holistic approach to preparing students beyond licensure, supporting lifelong learning and leadership in the field.

Opening Doors, Calming Fears:

The Center for Maternal and Infant Health will also open its doors to the parents of the region, with an innovative public-access program designed to help expectant parents overcome their labor and delivery fears. 

Through this fear-free delivery program, River Valley families will be able to observe simulated birth and postpartum experiences in the learning laboratories, asking healthcare professionals their birthing questions, and becoming familiar with the procedures they may encounter in a real hospital setting. 

"As a mother who gave birth to four babies in less than three years鈥攊ncluding a set of twins鈥擨 know how different each birthing experience can be. It is natural for mothers and their partners to have fears and many unanswered questions. We hope that this new program will alleviate both of those concerns," Riley said.

In addition to increasing understanding, the program aims to improve communication and foster trust between regional patients and the UAFS students who will eventually become their healthcare providers.

An Ongoing Crisis:

The need for this facility is urgent. 香蕉视频APP has the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States, with 92.2 pregnancy associated deaths per 100,000 live births between 2018-2020, according to the That same report found that 92% of pregnancy-related deaths in 香蕉视频APP were considered potentially preventable. These sobering figures reflect a broader health crisis affecting women and infants across the state, where access to care remains a persistent barrier, especially in rural and underserved communities.

The situation for infants is also dire. 香蕉视频APP holds the third-highest infant mortality rate in the country, as . Newborns and their mothers face increasing risks during and after delivery, many of which could be mitigated through improved provider training and better care coordination.

The Center for Mother and Infant Healthcare is designed as a direct response to this crisis, providing both cutting-edge training for future healthcare professionals and education opportunities for current practitioners to stay on the leading edge of care.

The Larger Vision: UAFS Center for Health Innovation

The new facility comes at a pivotal time for the UAFS College of Health, Education, and Human Sciences. A transformational $9.9M gift from the Windgate Foundation has already empowered the university to double the size of its nursing program over the coming years, dramatically increasing the number of students entering the healthcare workforce.

However, this rapid growth has placed a significant strain on existing instructional space. The new Center for Mother and Infant Healthcare will alleviate that pressure by offering more than 16,000 square feet of modern, specialized learning environments, but more is needed to fully meet the needs of the River Valley.

The university envisions the center as the ground floor of Center for Health Innovation鈥攁 30,000-square-foot building designed to serve as a flagship health education and workforce development hub. Once fully funded, the two-story structure would include additional simulation labs across healthcare disciplines, including the institution鈥檚 new Respiratory Therapy program, conference and training spaces, Extended Reality laboratories, collaboration areas, and faculty offices.

UAFS intends to move forward with construction thanks to the $15M appropriations, while actively seeking additional partnerships and philanthropic support to complete the full vision.

"Maternal health is a critical issue that impacts thousands of families across the River Valley each year. As a regional public university, UAFS is deeply focused on being part of the solution to the challenges that shape our community,鈥� said Blake Rickman, executive vice chancellor of advancement. "Our ability to address a crisis of this magnitude through education is central to our mission, and the driving purpose behind the Intrepid Ambition campaign. The new Center for Health Innovation is perfectly aligned with the work we鈥檙e already doing through the campaign and bringing it to life is incredibly energizing."

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