The Huguley’s story

Resilience in the face of inadequate healthcare infrastructure

Troup County, Georgia — In West Point, Georgia, Aleeshia and Serkeith Huguley face the daunting reality of navigating pregnancy in a maternity care desert. Located in Troup County, the area lacks adequate access to obstetric care, with their nearest birthing hospital a challenging 25-minute drive away. This scarcity of resources isn’t just a concern for them but for all residents who must consider hospitals in even more distant counties.

Aleeshia voices her anxiety about navigating poorly lit rural roads during her pregnancy, where safe places to stop are scarce. Her concerns extend beyond childbirth to accessing regular doctor's appointments for her new baby, amidst limited healthcare options in the area. She emphasizes, “My struggle with access to care doesn't end after giving birth—that's just the beginning." According to Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the US (2024 report), the lack of prenatal care facilities and birthing centers compounds these challenges, extending to pediatric care as well.

Aleeshia’s experience is emblematic of broader issues across America. Nearly half of all US counties lack an OB-GYN and for 2.5 million women of reproductive age, accessing maternity care happens outside of their community, in different counties from where they live. Additionally, more than 100 hospitals (1 in 25) closed their obstetric units nationwide in 2021 and 2022 alone, leaving many families like the Huguleys struggling to access essential care.

Serkeith’s first child was born preterm, which further underscores these difficulties. Born at 30 weeks, his baby spent 12 weeks in a NICU located an hour and a half away in Atlanta. “I shouldn't have to take an hour and a half drive to know that my baby is okay,” Serkeith says. “To not have that kind of healthcare readily available, it's nerve racking, disheartening, because you're helpless as a parent.”

Now, with Serkeith and Aleeshia having their own child, they’re unplanned pregnancy brought additional concerns. Due to the possibility of sickle cell disease, as both Aleeshia and Serkeith are sickle cell carriers, Aleeshia has weekly prenatal appointments. Despite having in-house services for most pregnancy needs, genetic screenings and counseling are not accessible locally.

“To people in low-access areas, it’s a struggle,” Serkeith says. “And if you're not in that struggle, then you don't understand that not everyone has the same medical care or accessibility. We can have the same doctor, but we don't have the same journey to get to this doctor.”

Despite these hardships, Aleeshia and Serkeith remain optimistic and eager, and they’re resolute in raising awareness about maternity care deserts. Their advocacy aims to improve medical access for all families facing similar challenges in communities across the US. Together with dedicated people like the Huguleys, March of Dimes can ensure equitable healthcare access and improved health for every mom, baby, and family. 

Aleeshia shared her story with March of Dimes in September 2023. The maternity care access designation may have changed in her county since then.