“Maternity Care Deserts” Are Making the Maternal Sepsis Crisis Worse

In places like Monroe County, Alabama, pregnant people face drives of between 35 and 100 miles to receive maternal healthcare. This puts them at increased risk of poor outcomes, including maternal sepsis. 

 According to new reporting out of Alabama, two hospitals in the state recently closed their maternity units, and a third will be following suit before the end of November. This will leave two counties in Alabama without any birthing hospitals at all, turning them into what are sometimes called “maternity care deserts.”  

Maternity care deserts put pregnant people at increased risk of dangerous complications like maternal sepsis, which is the body’s overwhelming response to an infection before, during, or after childbirth. Maternal sepsis is already the number two cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States. 

Because of these new closures, in places like Alabama’s Monroe County, pregnant people could face drives of between 35 to 100 miles to receive quality maternal healthcare. Unfortunately, Alabama is not an outlier. According to a 2023 report, approximately 2.2 million women and almost 150,000 babies are affected by maternity care deserts in the United States. Some reports estimate that as many as one-third of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts. In the past few years, maternity units and birthing centers have been closing at an alarming rate across the U.S., particularly in rural communities. In the last three years alone, 1,119 counties have become maternity care deserts, leaving an additional 15,933 women with no access to maternity care. 

If pregnant people start to notice dangerous signs and symptoms in their bodies, they need to seek treatment immediately. Sepsis is about TIME – early detection and treatment provide the best chance for survival and recovery. Maternity care deserts put pregnant people at increased risk because they make it harder for patients to begin receiving treatment quickly. In some cases, a long drive might discourage a patient from going to her doctor or make it impossible for her to seek treatment at all.  

Alabama already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. Its growing maternity care deserts will only worsen the problem, putting pregnant people at increased risk of developing sepsis and experiencing poor outcomes.  

Sepsis Alliance Voices remains committed to improving outcomes for people who develop sepsis during or following a pregnancy, so that more survive pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Improving sepsis-related outcomes for pregnant people is one of our top priority areas.  

To learn more about maternal sepsis and how to spot the signs and symptoms, visit the Sepsis and Pregnancy & Childbirth webpage.