News: Millions of U.S. women facing maternity care deserts, report says

March of Dimes, a non-profit organization dedicated to maternal care, recently released a report suggesting that more than 5.6 million United States women live in counties with no or limited access to maternity care services.

Unfortunately, the report noted, that this finding is congruent with previous findings and indicates a larger pattern over time: “More than one third (36%) of U.S. counties [since 2018] are considered maternity care deserts, which are defined as counties without a hospital or birth center offering obstetric care and without any obstetric providers.”

Some key elements of the report include:

• The loss of obstetric units in hospitals was responsible for decreased maternity care access in 369 counties since the 2018 report, nearly one in 10 counties across the U.S.
• Seventy additional counties have been classified as maternity care deserts due to a loss of obstetric providers and obstetric units in hospitals, since the initial report in 2018.
• More than 32 million reproductive-age women are vulnerable to poor health outcomes due to a lack of access to reproductive healthcare services, like family planning clinics and skilled birth attendants.
• States with the highest rates of maternity care deserts include North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, Oklahoma, and Nebraska, states with more rural populations.
• Eight out of 10 maternity care deserts have a high burden of pregnant persons with pre-existing chronic health conditions, increasing the risk for conditions like preeclampsia and preterm birth.

“Every baby deserves the healthiest start to life, and every family should expect equitable, available, quality maternal care,” Dr. Elizabeth Cherot, March of Dimes President and Chief Executive Officer said. “These new reports show that the system is failing families today but paints a clear picture of the unique challenges facing mothers and babies at the local level—the first step in our work to put solutions in place, and build a better future for all families.”

Editor’s note: To read the March of Dimes report, click here.