For Kennedy Stanley, maternal health in Arkansas is personal, urgent

Aspiring physician issues bold plea to state lawmakers

When Kennedy Stanley stepped up to the microphone at the Arkansas Heart at the Capitol event, she wasn’t there just to speak. She was there to stand up for new mothers who too often go unheard.

Kennedy is a young woman with a clear sense of purpose — a graduate student with plans to start medical school in the next few years and a Heart Powered advocate who believes that no one should lose their life because the insurance they need ends too soon.

As she looked out across a room filled with lawmakers, survivors, professionals and community leaders, she carried with her the weight of stories she knows all too well – stories of pregnancy complications, heart health challenges and the critical weeks after birth that can determine whether a mother flourishes or struggles.

An aspiring physician with a degree from University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff who works as a medical assistant in a women’s clinic, she was one of 65 grassroots advocates who gathered recently in Little Rock for the American Heart Association’s state lobby day event. Together, American Heart Association Heart Powered advocates descended on lawmakers with a single mission: urge them to act on commonsense policies that improve maternal health and save lives.

For Kennedy, the issue isn’t abstract or partisan. It’s deeply human.

“Too many mothers fall through the cracks after delivery,” she shared during the day’s events. “We have to do better – because if a mom isn’t healthy and well, how can a newborn baby thrive?”

A state at a crossroads

Arkansas faces a sobering reality. Heart disease and stroke remain leading causes of maternal mortality, and many pregnancy-related deaths occur weeks or months after delivery. Yet Arkansas is the only state in the nation that has not extended Medicaid coverage for new mothers beyond 60 days postpartum.

At Heart at the Capitol, advocates called on lawmakers to change that.

“It was one of our biggest advocacy days in Arkansas,” said Dave Oberembt, government relations director for the American Heart Association in the state. “Our advocates are really motivated to improve maternal health and, in particular, extend postpartum Medicaid coverage.”

Throughout the day, participants received advocacy training, issue briefings and storytelling guidance before heading into face-to-face meetings with state House and Senate members. They shared their lived experiences – moments of fear, resilience and loss – all underscoring the same message Kennedy voiced: care for mothers must not end when they leave the hospital.

Voices that move policy

Kennedy knows that stories can open doors that data alone cannot. As a future physician, she understands the science. As an advocate, she understands the power of speaking from the heart.

“As a woman of color, I can’t help but notice the racial disparities for Black women’s maternal mortality are three times worse than their counterparts,” Kennedy said. “And in a rural community where there are health care deserts, in a state that is last in the nation for women’s health, we need our legislators to pay attention, to show up for Arkansas moms.”

Extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to one year and improving access to paid family medical leave are evidence-based solutions shown to reduce maternal deaths and improve outcomes for families. They’re also policies Arkansans overwhelmingly support.

Recent polling shows 95% of residents favor expanding paid family medical leave – a rare point of near-universal agreement.

“When was the last time 95% of people agreed on an issue?” Oberembt said.

For Kennedy, that support represents hope – hope that lawmakers will listen, and that momentum will translate into action.

“It’s really exciting to see our advocates so motivated this year,” Oberembt said. “These are some commonsense solutions that will save lives.”

Standing together for moms

The day concluded with coordinated meetings between advocates and lawmakers and a group photo with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders – a moment that reflected both progress and possibility.

“It was an incredible experience for these empowered Arkansans to advocate for maternal health, a major need in our state,” said Cori Keller, a member of the American Heart Association–Central Arkansas board of directors.

For Kennedy, the experience reaffirmed why she shows up – not just for today’s mothers, but for the patients she hopes to serve tomorrow as an OB-GYN.

“I want to practice medicine in a system that truly protects women,” she said. “That starts with policy, compassion and the courage to speak up.”

Heart Powered and moving forward

The American Heart Association continues to urge Arkansas lawmakers to close the postpartum coverage gap and strengthen protections for new mothers during the current legislative session. Advocates like Kennedy Stanley prove what’s possible when passion meets purpose – and when voices powered by heart come together to demand change.

Because every mother deserves time to heal, access to care and the chance to be there for the families who need them most.

To learn more about the American Heart Association’s Heart Powered movement, text HEART to 46839 or visit HeartPowered.org.

More than 60 Heart Association Heart Powered advocates came together in Little Rock on April 22 with one question for Governor Sanders: “Why is our state last when it comes to women’s health?” Photo courtesy of Matthew Sewell Photography