OBHG, March of Dimes Launch 2-Year Maternity Access Push as 1 in 3 U.S. Counties Lack Care
Updated
Updated · PR Newswire · Aug 11
OBHG, March of Dimes Launch 2-Year Maternity Access Push as 1 in 3 U.S. Counties Lack Care
3 articles · Updated · PR Newswire · Aug 11
Summary
A new two-year partnership will have OBHG back March of Dimes' campaign to preserve and expand obstetric services as the 2026 report says one in three U.S. counties remains a maternity care desert.
More than 90% of counties that lost maternity access between 2016 and 2024 also had fewer obstetric clinicians, while counties that gained access largely added OB-GYNs and certified nurse-midwives.
OBHG says it will promote hospital staffing models that pair physicians and nurse-midwives, alongside 24/7 hospitalist programs and telehealth maternal-fetal medicine for rural and underserved areas.
Across 300-plus hospitals in 42 states, OBHG said its network logged 36,278 prenatal visits and supported more than 3,000 deliveries in high-need communities from August 2024 to July 2025.
The report says maternity care deserts have changed little since 2016, underscoring how workforce shortages and clinician burnout continue to threaten local obstetric services.
Can a private partnership truly fix maternity care deserts if rural hospitals still lose money on low Medicaid reimbursements?
Will this collaborative model physically bring delivery units back to rural counties, or simply expand remote telehealth monitoring for expectant mothers?
Could centralizing deliveries in well-equipped urban hubs actually be safer for mothers than struggling to keep low-volume rural obstetric units open?