Report: Half of Georgia counties lack adequate maternity care

The March of Dimes says longer travel distances can contribute to delayed or missed prenatal care and worse outcomes.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Millions of families in the U.S. struggle to access essential maternity care due to shortages of clinicians, limited birthing facilities and financial barriers, creating “maternity care deserts.” The issue is severe in Georgia, where one out of two counties lack adequate care, forcing women to travel two to three times farther for services.

According to the March of Dimes report, more than one-third of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts, impacting more than two million women and their babies each year. Rural areas are hit hardest, with many counties having no obstetric clinicians or hospitals with labor and delivery units.

Tamara Mason, Director of the Maternal and Child Health Collective Impact at the March of Dimes in Atlanta, says women who are living in these deserts are at a higher risk.

“Your outcomes are worse because if you have to travel farther distances again, you may not be initiating that prenatal care like you should, you may not be going to all those prenatal appointments,” she said.