PORTAGE COUNTY, Ohio — A third of all counties in the U.S. are considered “maternity care deserts,” according to the latest March of Dimes report released Tuesday. In the last two months, two hospital systems in Northeast Ohio announced the closure of labor and delivery units at two or their locations.
“Well, these closures were definitely worrisome,” said Kara Hamilton-McGraw, Director of Maternal Infant Health with the March of Dimes.
Last month, University Hospitals announced that the labor and delivery center at UH Portage Hospital will move to UH Geauga, meaning there will be no maternity services left in Portage County.
“That is certainly a big, big hit for Portage County and certainly devastating news for new and expecting moms to have to now seek services elsewhere out of county to deliver,” said Portage County Health Commissioner Joseph Diorio.
Last week, Summa Health officials announced that the hospital system will be ending labor and delivery services at its Barberton Campus and transitioning them to the Akron Campus in November.
RELATED: Summa Health to end baby delivery services at Barberton Campus, transition them to Akron Campus
It's the same situation in Ashtabula, where the last labor and delivery unit closed in 2020.
It's a problem that's been brewing in hospitals across the nation for years now, “because of staffing shortages and stress on local national health systems, you know, brought upon by COVID-19,” Hamilton-McGraw said.
According to the March of Dimes 2022 Maternal Care Report released Tuesday, there was a slight increase in counties designated as maternity care deserts nationwide, with 36% of all U.S. counties — 1,119 counties — now designated as maternity care deserts.
Several factors are considered when determining maternity care deserts, including the availability of labor and delivery centers, the number of obstetrics or OB providers in a county and the number of women without health insurance.
“Lack of access to care is one of the biggest barriers to safe and healthy pregnancies for all American parents, especially in rural and communities of color,” Hamilton-McGraw said.
The report shows Medina County has no hospitals or maternity wards where mothers can deliver their babies, but because of the number of OB providers in the county, it doesn't technically qualify as a maternity desert.
You may be able to get your check-ups in Medina County, but there's nowhere to give birth there, meaning mothers have to travel during labor, putting moms and babies at higher risk.
Ashtabula is now in the same boat, and after next month, it’s expected that Portage County’s rating will also suffer.
“The zip codes should not determine their health outcomes, their baby's health outcomes or their longevity if they survive or thrive,” Hamilton-McGraw said.
According to the report, Ohio had the most women impacted by an overall reduction in maternity care access, affecting more than 97,000 women in our state.
“It's very concerning,” said Lisa Amlung Holloway, Maternal & Infant Health Director for Ohio March of Dimes. “We know that women who have to travel farther for care, that that's definitely a barrier, particularly in this current environment where gas is expensive.”
In 2020, one in 10 babies were born preterm in our state. The rate of preterm birth here in Ohio is highest for Native Americans at 14.1%, followed by Black babies at 14%, and then Hispanic babies at 10.1%.
“It again, just underscores that America's moms and babies are in the middle of a crisis. Access to care is diminishing in places all across the country where it's most needed,” Hamilton-McGraw said.
The report comes during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and as we work to highlight some important issues surrounding maternal care here at News 5.
We will continue to report on families battling inequities in maternal care and tracking the devastating problems they present in the coming months.
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