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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
Ensuring Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Mothers, and Healthy Babies

Giving our children a healthy start in life begins with healthy pregnancies.

But far too many areas in Ohio and across the country face a serious maternity care shortage. In fact, one quarter of Ohio counties lack access to even one OB-GYN physician. That’s right – 22 Ohio counties lack regular access to a practicing OB-GYN.

This is unacceptable. Healthy pregnancies lead to healthy babies, and no mother-to-be should go without the care she needs.

We know the risks to both mothers and children forced to go without care. Each year more than one million babies are born to mothers who did not receive adequate prenatal care, and these babies are three times more likely to be low birth weight and five times more likely to die as infants. Our state ranks 48th in the nation for overall infant mortality and worst in the nation for African American infant mortality.

But despite the fact that there are nearly five million women living in our state, there are only around 1,100 OB-GYNs who practice in Ohio. Nationwide, less than 50 percent of counties have a practicing OB-GYN, and many women are forced to drive an hour or more to get the care that they need. And as any parent knows, good prenatal care means multiple doctor’s appointments.

That’s why I’m working to pass the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, which would help to reduce provider shortages in rural and underserved areas.

The first step to fixing this problem is identifying the areas where women are most in need. My bipartisan bill would ensure that the federal government designates maternity care shortage areas, so we know where women are in need of doctors.

The second step is providing incentives to practices in these underserved, often rural areas. The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) was created in 1972 to fill health provider shortages in underserved areas. It provides scholarships and loan repayments in exchange for service in a site NHSC has designated as in need of health care providers.

My bill would help the NHSC fill the workforce gap in newly-designated maternity care shortage areas. This will allow us to target maternity care resources where they’re most needed, and help ensure healthier pregnancies, healthier mothers, and healthier babies.

No woman should have to drive an hour or more just to get to her doctor’s appointment. Many expectant mothers work long hours, and not everyone has easy access to reliable transportation. For women working minimum wage jobs and women without cars, taking long stretches off of work, transferring buses, and navigating public transportation just to get to appointments can become an insurmountable challenge.

We need to make sure every woman in Ohio has access to a qualified OB-GYN. All parents should be able to give their children the healthiest possible start in life.


 
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