Maternal Health
​Publications

Obstetric Care Access at Rural and Urban Hospitals in the United States

Maternal mortality is on the rise in the US, while access to maternal health services continues to decline. This study examines the losses and gains of obstetric care at hospitals in the United States from 2010 to 2022.
Publication 2024

The Maternal and Child Health Workforce: A Snapshot of Current and Future Needs From Public Health WINS 2021

The MCH module highlights a need to further prioritize workforce development efforts for governmental public health staff, especially in LHDs. There is an ongoing need to meet public health professionals where they are and to tailor training models and workforce development plans to account for new and ongoing stressors faced by the workforce.
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2024 March of Dimes Report Card: The state of maternal and infant health for American families

The Availability of Midwifery Care in Rural United States Communities

Access to pregnancy-related and childbirth-related health care for rural residents is limited by health workforce shortages in the United States. Although midwives are key pregnancy and childbirth care providers, the current landscape of the rural midwifery workforce is not well understood. The goal of this analysis was to describe the availability of local midwifery care in rural US communities. 

​​More Than Half of US Rural Hospitals No Longer Offer Birthing Services—Here’s Why

More than 200 hospitals in rural areas of the US have closed up shop on labor and delivery services over the past 10 years, according to a recent report. The result: more than half of rural hospitals no longer offer birthing services. And as hospital expenses increase, patients in rural areas may face even greater difficulties accessing maternity care, leading some experts to declare a state of crisis.

Loss of Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in Rural Counties in the United States, 2010-2022 ​

In the US, access to maternity care in rural counties continues to decline. This infographic from the FORHP-funded University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center updates their 2017 analysis on hospital-based obstetric services in rural counties, showing that rural counties with no hospital-based obstetric services increased from 54% of rural counties in 2014 to almost 59% in 2022.

​​HHS to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes with New CMS Care Model

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced innovative actions to improve maternal health and birth outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women and their infants through the new Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model.

HHS to report to Congress on Maternal Health

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently sent a report to Congress on agency-wide activities and outcomes of programs addressing the maternal health crisis. The report includes trends on maternal health outcomes, drivers contributing to the crisis, HHS actions to address drivers, and a measurement framework to assess progress. The report also addresses the lack of access to maternal health care in rural areas and highlights programs aimed at increasing the rural maternal health workforce 

HHS launches Maternal Mental Health Task Force’s National Strategy to improve maternal mental health care.

The vision set forth by this national strategy is one in which maternal mental health (also known as perinatal mental health) and substance use care is seamless and integrated across medical, community, and social systems. The vision includes models of care and support that are innovative and sensitive to individuals’ experiences, culture, and community and does not distinguish between physical health care and mental health care. Building upon existing federal government efforts, the task force outlines a path to achieve the vision within a framework consisting of the following five pillars, each with supporting priorities and recommendations.

Trends in State-Level Maternal Mortality by Racial and Ethnic Group in the United States

Evidence suggests that maternal mortality has been increasing in the US. Comprehensive estimates do not exist. Long-term trends in maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) for all states by racial and ethnic groups were estimated.

Addressing the Crisis in Rural Maternity Care

​“Maternity deserts are a growing problem in the United States, especially for rural hospitals that have to shutter labor and delivery departments at higher rates than their urban counterparts, according to a new report from the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform (CHQPR).” Currently, “55 percent of rural hospitals in the US do not offer labor and delivery services, and in ten states, more than two-thirds of rural hospitals do not offer labor and delivery services, CHQPR reported.”