New Mosaic women’s clinic aims to address maternity care challenges in Missouri

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Women's health has been and continues to be a priority in Northwest Missouri.

Earlier this week, the Mosaic Medical Center formally announced a groundbreaking ceremony would take place Nov. 18 for a new women's clinic in Maryville, Missouri.

This new facility will feature expanded services for women, including preventive care, obstetrics, gynecology and general wellness care.

Megan Jennings, development officer at St. Francis Hospital Foundation, said expanding services isn't just to provide additional aid, it's to prevent unnecessary health complications for women.

"Women across Missouri are unnecessarily dying during the time of pregnancy or postpartum, due to a number of factors," Jennings said. "Substance abuse and mental health have played a role. And access to care greatly affects our rural communities. Missouri is referred to as a maternity desert."

Results from a pregnancy mortality review conducted by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services found that from 2018 to 2022, a total of 350 deaths were documented, with an average of 70 women passing away each year while pregnant or within a year after their pregnancy.

The pregnancy-related mortality ratio was 32.3 deaths per 100,000 live births. This is notably higher than the U.S. rate of 22.3.

Additionally, the review panel found that 80% of all pregnancy-related deaths were preventable. 

"It's caused the state of Missouri to take extreme pause and think about how we begin to address these issues," Jennings said. "Rural hospitals all across the nation are struggling to maintain maternity services, it's a challenge to keep open for a variety of reasons."

The current Maryville clinic is housed within a facility that sees and treats other sick patients. By expanding the space, crowding and overlap will be eliminated.

"Someone going in for prenatal care may sit in the same waiting room as someone that could have COVID-19, influenza, pneumonia or something else," Jennings said. "We're putting our pregnant moms at risk and their child at risk. Our biggest priority was to separate the clinic into its own comprehensive space. That allows us to expand upon the services that we're providing and creating something that's comprehensive for all women through all ages."

After the groundbreaking, the demolition and start of the construction of the facility will take place on Jan. 1, 2026. Completion is expected to be sometime in October of 2026.