Ohio leads nation in maternity care access shortages, March of Dimes report finds

The number of women struggling to access maternal care in the U.S. continues to grow, with Ohio having the most women impacted by overall reductions in access to care, according to a new report released by March of Dimes (Source: “Millions of Americans live in maternity care deserts. Access continues to worsen, report shows,” USA Today, Aug. 1).

The nonprofit organization's 2022 report shows that nearly 7 million women are affected by areas of no to low access. In Ohio, the report estimates that more than 97,000 women were impacted by overall reductions in access to care.

The report also found that 36% of U.S. counties (1,119) qualify as maternity care deserts, marking a 2% increase from the 2020 report or an additional 15,933 women who have no maternity care.

March of Dimes defines maternity care deserts as "any county in the United States without a hospital or birth center offering obstetric care and without any obstetric providers."

"The challenges faced by the health care community have created additional gaps and challenged maternal care providers to find creative ways to continue to provide quality care," the report reads. "We must continue to work to amend the obvious disparities in care experienced throughout the U.S."