Access to Maternity Care Worsening for Millions of Women in the U.S.
On August 1, 2023, March of Dimes released Where You Live Matters: Maternity Care Deserts and the Crisis of Access and Equity, a new collection of reports that shows more than 5.6 million women live in counties with no or limited access to maternity care services, forcing families to find new ways to get the care they need.
Rural hospitals across America are closing obstetrical units, primarily due to financial and staffing constraints. This can lead to an increase in deliveries and obstetrical emergencies presenting in Emergency Departments. Is your Emergency Department adequately prepared?
March of Dimes research shows access to maternity care worsening, particularly in rural areas. Oftentimes this results in an increase in women with little to no prenatal care turning to emergency departments for their healthcare.
With increasing closures of OB units, it’s imperative that ED physicians are well prepared to manage routine deliveries as well as obstetrical emergencies as discussed in this Medscape article, Labor and Delivery in the Emergency Department.
Visit www.marchofdimes.org/mcdr to learn about the reports, stay updated on local initiatives, and find out how you can improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
Additional references:
- https://www.hrsa.gov/rural-health/grants/rural-community/rmoms
- https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/01/maternal-health-care-crisis-00109106
- https://www.aha.org/aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2023-05-02-3-keys-addressing-rural-maternal-health-crisis
- https://apnews.com/article/birthing-rural-hospitals-maternity-care-births-e67a91d927eb545459e83bc7b2b95a0d
- https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/07/health/maternity-units-closing/index.html
- https://www.dartmouth-health.org/about/news/article/dartmouth-hitchcock-medical-center-awarded-9915k-federal-grant-fund-improved-rural-obstetric