What is a Maternal Care Desert?

Maternal care deserts are areas with a lack of access to essential maternal healthcare services, such as:

• Prenatal care
• Labor and delivery services
• Postpartum care

Due to the lack of available care, women face considerable challenges in accessing timely, adequate care. This can lead to adverse health outcomes both for the mothers and the infants.

Key Problems in Maternal Care Deserts

Limited Access to Health Facilities

Maternal care deserts have few or no hospitals, clinics, or healthcare providers offering maternal health services. Women living in these areas must travel long distances to reach facilities and receive care.

Shortage of Healthcare Professionals

There is a shortage of obstetricians, gynecologists, and other maternal care providers in these areas, leading to care delays and overburdened existing providers.

Lack of Specialized Care

For some areas, even when access to basic care is available, access to specialized care is limited. This can include care for high-risk pregnancies or complications during childbirth.

Higher Rates of Maternal and Infant Mortality

Due to inadequate access to care, maternal healthcare deserts often have higher rates of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. Women in these areas are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

Health Disparities

Maternal healthcare deserts exacerbate existing health disparities, particularly affecting low-income women, women of color, and those in rural communities. This contributes to overall poorer health outcomes and can perpetuate cycles of poverty and ill health.

Addressing Maternal Health Deserts

Addressing the issue of maternal healthcare deserts involves a multifaceted approach, including increasing the number of healthcare providers in underserved areas, improving transportation and infrastructure, expanding telehealth services, enhancing healthcare coverage, and addressing social determinants of health.

Several organizations, government agencies, and initiatives are working to address maternal health care deserts. Their efforts aim to improve access to maternal health services and reduce disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes.

Government Agencies:

• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): HRSA runs programs aimed at improving access to health care in rural and underserved areas, including the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, which supports maternal and child health services.
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): CMS provides funding and policy guidance to improve maternal health care access and quality through programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
• National Health Service Corps (NHSC): This program provides scholarships and loan repayment to health care providers who commit to working in underserved areas, including maternal health care providers.

Nonprofit Organizations:

• March of Dimes: This organization advocates for policies that improve maternal and infant health, funds research, and provides resources to support mothers and babies in underserved areas.
• Every Mother Counts: Founded by Christy Turlington Burns, this nonprofit works to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother, everywhere, by supporting programs that improve access to essential maternity care.
• Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA): BMMA focuses on improving maternal health outcomes for Black women through advocacy, research, and support for community-based organizations.

Community Health Initiatives:

• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): FQHCs provide comprehensive health services, including prenatal and maternal care, to underserved populations, regardless of their ability to pay.
• Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program: This HRSA-funded program aims to improve access to and continuity of maternal health care in rural areas through innovative service delivery models.

Telehealth Initiatives:

• Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes): This model uses telehealth to connect primary care providers in rural and underserved areas with specialists, including maternal health experts, to improve care delivery.
• Telehealth Resource Centers: Funded by HRSA, these centers support the expansion and implementation of telehealth services, which can be particularly beneficial for prenatal and maternal health care in remote areas.

Policy and Advocacy Efforts:

• The Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM): AIM works to improve maternal health care quality and safety through the implementation of evidence-based practices and quality improvement initiatives.
• Maternal Health Task Forces and Coalitions: Various state and local task forces and coalitions focus on identifying gaps in maternal health care and developing targeted solutions to address these gaps.

Leveraging Technology

Advancements in ultrasound reporting and telehealth play a crucial role in enhancing access to quality care and improving health outcomes for mothers and infants. These technologies facilitate remote consultations, prenatal care monitoring, and emergency support and leverage data analytics to identify trends, predict high-risk pregnancies, and allocate resources effectively.

By adopting these strategies and leveraging the efforts of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, community health initiatives, and technological advancements, we can make significant strides in closing the gap in maternal health care and ensuring that all women receive the care they need for healthy pregnancies and childbirths.