Nowhere to go: Maternity Care Deserts across the US 2024 Report for

Ensuring consistent, high-quality maternity care is essential to safeguard the health of pregnant people and the 3.6 million babies born each year in the US. In addition to the over 800 maternal deaths that occur each year, the infant mortality rate increased significantly in 2022 for the first time in two decades. With adequate access to timely and appropriate care, many of these deaths are preventable.

Nowhere To Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the US (2024 report) continues to expand education and awareness about areas without access to care. By diving into data and explaining barriers that keep women with too few options, knowledge becomes the catalyst for action. The report examines how factors like fertility rates, chronic disease and social drivers of health (SODH) influence access to care and for the first time, maternity care access and its association with birth outcomes are examined. Policy actions and recommendations that can improve access to care are also incorporated throughout the report.

Components of access

This report explores access to maternity care within the context of healthcare access, defined as the “timely use of personal health services to achieve the best possible health outcomes”. ¹

While not exhaustive, the figure below illustrates the key factors affecting maternity care access analyzed throughout this report. Each segment examines specific topics, incorporating recent data, and exploring the influence of state and federal policies and social drivers of health (SDOH). This report aims to highlight the challenges in ensuring that everyone has equitable and timely access to maternity care.

Key factors affecting maternity care access