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Maternity units are closing
across America, forcing expectant mothers to hit the road |
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Since 2011, 217 hospitals in
the United States have closed their labor and delivery departments,
according to a report by the health care consulting firm Chartis. Services provided at maternity
units vary from hospital to hospital. Most offer obstetrics care in which an
obstetrician will deliver a baby, either vaginally or via cesarean section.
These units also provide perinatal care, which is medical and supportive care
before and after delivery. The Chartis report says that
the states with the highest loss of access to obstetrical care are Minnesota,
Texas, Iowa, Kansas and Wisconsin, with each losing more than 10 facilities. Data released last fall by
the infant and maternal health nonprofit March of Dimes also shows that more
than 2.2 million women of childbearing age across 1,119 US counties are
living in “maternity care deserts,” meaning their counties have no hospitals
offering obstetric care, no birth centers and no obstetric providers. Maternity care
deserts have been linked to a lack of adequate prenatal care or
treatment for pregnancy complications and even an increased risk of
maternal death for a year after giving birth. |
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