A Rural Health Focus with Our New Project, The Center on Rural Parenting
The Center on Rural Parenting (CRP) and Build Missouri Health (BMH) are joining forces to advance rural health equity by centering the experiences of parents and caregivers. The Center on Rural Parenting is a rural Reproductive Justice organization working to create safe and sustainable rural communities by improving parenting environments through collaborative action, storytelling and education. With a mission to amplify, foster and co-create community-led innovations that will result in health equity, Build Missouri Health supports fledgling projects and organizations to build the financial infrastructure necessary to succeed.
“Rural communities don’t stop at state lines— either should the resources and care that families rely on. Southern Illinoisans often travel to St. Louis for healthcare, while Missourians are forced to flee their state to access reproductive care in Illinois. Interstate cooperation is essential to ensuring rural parents aren’t left behind,” said Aaliyah Sweet P. Bailey, Founder and Executive Director, at The Center on Rural Parenting. “With the launch of the Rural Parenting Action Network (RPAN), we are calling for #RuralActionNow and building a cross-state network that reflects how rural people actually live and move through the world.”
CRP was founded by Aaliyah Sweet P. Bailey, a rural Reproductive Justice activist and communications and community management expert dedicated to serving rural communities in Illinois and Missouri by expanding access to parenting resources, reproductive health access, and providing barrier- free education on pressing topics and current events. She owns Midwestern Gothic, Inc., a creative communications studio, and currently serves as a Brand Ambassador for the Public Health Communications Collaborative.
This partnership between The Center on Rural Parenting and Build Missouri Health represents a critical step toward advancing health equity and Reproductive Justice in rural communities, ensuring that parenting people have the resources and support they need to thrive—no matter where they live.
“Rural health isn’t one-size- fits-all—parents across different communities face unique challenges, from maternity care deserts to chronic disease and access to behavioral health services. The key to tackling these issues is connection—bringing people together to share knowledge, pool resources, and develop solutions that work for their specific communities,” said Jasmine Ratliff, Executive Director at Build Missouri Health.
The major project of the Center on Rural Parenting is the Rural Parenting Action Network (RPAN), creating spaces for rural community members to convene, create and execute solutions for rural families across the Midwest. RPAN is a collaborative educational initiative hosted on MRHA Connect, a groundbreaking, community-driven online platform hosted by the Missouri Rural Health Association designed to foster collaboration with rural health practitioners, advocates and community members in rural Missouri and beyond.
RPAN brings together parents, caregivers, healthcare providers, and advocates to strengthen rural parenting by exchanging knowledge, sharing resources, and driving policy and community-led change across Missouri and Illinois. The inaugural #RuralActionNow campaign seeks to raise funds and increase participation in the RPAN’s first curriculum offering Re-Imagining Rural Parenting with Joy in the Digital Age in the Spring of 2026.
We invite rural community members, healthcare professionals, and advocates to join the Rural Parenting Action Network on MRHA Connect and become part of a growing network committed to advancing Reproductive Justice by strengthening rural parenting and health systems by reaching out to Ms. Bailey through this contact form. Supporters of this work can also provide donations to fund The Center on Rural Parenting’s critical work. Learn more about this rural Reproductive Justice work at TheCenterOnRuralParenting.org.
“Rural communities don’t stop at state lines— either should the resources and care that families rely on. Southern Illinoisans often travel to St. Louis for healthcare, while Missourians are forced to flee their state to access reproductive care in Illinois. Interstate cooperation is essential to ensuring rural parents aren’t left behind,” said Aaliyah Sweet P. Bailey, Founder and Executive Director, at The Center on Rural Parenting. “With the launch of the Rural Parenting Action Network (RPAN), we are calling for #RuralActionNow and building a cross-state network that reflects how rural people actually live and move through the world.”
CRP was founded by Aaliyah Sweet P. Bailey, a rural Reproductive Justice activist and communications and community management expert dedicated to serving rural communities in Illinois and Missouri by expanding access to parenting resources, reproductive health access, and providing barrier- free education on pressing topics and current events. She owns Midwestern Gothic, Inc., a creative communications studio, and currently serves as a Brand Ambassador for the Public Health Communications Collaborative.
This partnership between The Center on Rural Parenting and Build Missouri Health represents a critical step toward advancing health equity and Reproductive Justice in rural communities, ensuring that parenting people have the resources and support they need to thrive—no matter where they live.
“Rural health isn’t one-size- fits-all—parents across different communities face unique challenges, from maternity care deserts to chronic disease and access to behavioral health services. The key to tackling these issues is connection—bringing people together to share knowledge, pool resources, and develop solutions that work for their specific communities,” said Jasmine Ratliff, Executive Director at Build Missouri Health.
The major project of the Center on Rural Parenting is the Rural Parenting Action Network (RPAN), creating spaces for rural community members to convene, create and execute solutions for rural families across the Midwest. RPAN is a collaborative educational initiative hosted on MRHA Connect, a groundbreaking, community-driven online platform hosted by the Missouri Rural Health Association designed to foster collaboration with rural health practitioners, advocates and community members in rural Missouri and beyond.
RPAN brings together parents, caregivers, healthcare providers, and advocates to strengthen rural parenting by exchanging knowledge, sharing resources, and driving policy and community-led change across Missouri and Illinois. The inaugural #RuralActionNow campaign seeks to raise funds and increase participation in the RPAN’s first curriculum offering Re-Imagining Rural Parenting with Joy in the Digital Age in the Spring of 2026.
We invite rural community members, healthcare professionals, and advocates to join the Rural Parenting Action Network on MRHA Connect and become part of a growing network committed to advancing Reproductive Justice by strengthening rural parenting and health systems by reaching out to Ms. Bailey through this contact form. Supporters of this work can also provide donations to fund The Center on Rural Parenting’s critical work. Learn more about this rural Reproductive Justice work at TheCenterOnRuralParenting.org.