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Public officials and journalists use the word “crisis” a lot, sometimes when a situation is less than critical. But when it comes to the state of maternal health in Arkansas, “crisis” seems a mild term.
The statistics on maternal deaths certainly paint a dire picture, and a new report last week added to the sense of urgency: 60% of rural hospitals in Arkansas do not offer labor and delivery services for expectant mothers.
That means a pregnant woman likely has to travel 30 minutes or more to a different community to deliver her baby, presenting a higher risk of complications and death for both mother and child, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform report.
Women are also less likely to get adequate prenatal and postpartum care when they have to travel outside of their communities for it, the report notes.
In 2022, more than a fifth of pregnant Arkansans did not receive prenatal care until the fifth month of pregnancy or had fewer than 50% of the appropriate number of prenatal health visits, according to the March of Dimes 2023 maternal care report.