What in the world is a maternity care desert?

Silhouette of a baby bumpPhoto byGlitch Lab ApponUnsplash

Last week, the March of Dimes released a report titled "Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the US" from their headquarters in Arlington, VA.

The report shows that many American women have to travel outside of their on county in order to receive quality maternity care. Some of these counties without maternity care explains why one out of every 10,000 women in the US die during pregnancy.

The disparities on maternity care deserts throughout the country is sort of shocking since the US prides itself on having cutting-edge medical technology. However, one out of every 12 women currently have limited access to maternity care or no access to maternity care at all. One out of every 12 women receiving maternity care will have to drive at least 30 miles if they have complications during their pregnancy.

One of the biggest stories in the national media this week was in regards to a woman who had died in Georgia because she was experiencing complications, but the lack of maternity resources within the state has left her family mourning her death.