More Than 1 in 3 U.S. Counties Are ‘Maternity Care Deserts’

Access to maternity care is decreasing across the country, leaving nearly seven million women of childbearing age and an estimated 500,000 babies with limited or no access to maternity care services, according to a report released October 11 by the March of Dimes, a nonprofit focused on maternal and infant health. An estimated 36 percent of counties, mostly in the Midwest and South, are considered “maternity care deserts,” meaning they have no obstetric hospitals or birth centers and no obstetric providers. That’s a 2 percent increase from the 2020 report, which represents 15,933 women in more than 1,000 counties. Learn more from Every Day Health here.