HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Pregnant women across the country are being left without access to care as more labor and delivery units close, which forces families to travel to get the care they need.
In Florida, 19.4% of counties are considered maternity care deserts, which means they don't have a hospital or center that offers obstetric care.
Caroline Valencia with March of Dimes Florida said this puts both the mom and baby at risk.
“It can be very detrimental because you know that every minute counts when a woman is pregnant. Something can change very quickly,” Valencia said.
Valencia explained that 10.8% of women in Florida do not have a birthing hospital within 30 minutes of where they live, that's higher than the national average. Valencia said that driving could be a matter of life or death in a dire situation.
“If it’s an emergency situation where she may need an emergency C-section or any other type of healthcare procedure that needs to happen, it puts mom and baby at risk every minute that she has to drive further to get that care,” Valencia said.
Hardee County is considered a maternity care desert, while DeSoto County is considered a low-access area.
“Hospitals do need to support a certain level of volume of deliveries in order to have the right staffing and clinical support,” Mary Mayhew, the President of the Florida Hospital Association, said.
She explained that's mostly impacting rural counties because they have low birth rates and staff recruitment issues.
She said one of her big concerns is the Medicaid reimbursement rate.
Mayhew explained Medicaid pays for 46% of births in Florida, but the reimbursement rate is 35 cents on the dollar.
“So hospitals have to somehow make up those losses elsewhere. That’s what puts such a significant strain on the hospitals and their ability to preserve that critical access,” Mayhew said.
Mayhew explained finding a fix will be complex, but the Florida Hospital Association has been pushing the legislature for a Medicaid reimbursement increase.
Valencia said they are working to ensure providers have the proper training and that pregnant families have the education needed to make a decision on care.
Mayhew and Valencia explained that any time a hospital closes, it puts additional pressure on surrounding hospitals. The FHA said women in Hardee County will likely travel to Hillsborough for care. March of Dimes said Hillsborough has the resources and specialists to be able to handle that and help those families.
There is a list of resources to help pregnant families below:
