Yes. Maternity health care deserts exist in nearly every state in the U.S., including Oklahoma. Thirty-eight counties are considered maternity care deserts, including Grady, Logan, and Le Flore. More than one-third of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts, according to maternal and infant health nonprofit March of Dimes. That number is higher in rural counties, where nearly 58% lack obstetric clinicians. 2.4 million women of reproductive age and 149,000 infants born each year reside in maternity care deserts. Residents travel an average of three times longer to reach labor and delivery services than residents of full-access counties. Maternity care deserts, regions with no obstetric clinicians or birthing facilities, are associated with poorer maternal and infant health and higher mortality risks. Recent cuts to Medicaid, which covered 41% of births in 2023, and nearly half in rural areas, are projected to create new maternity care deserts. This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one. Oklahoma Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Sources March of Dimes Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S.National Library of Medicine State-Level Prevalence of Maternity Care Deserts: Association With Healthcare Access, Utilization, and Outcomes Among Medicaid RecipientsKFF 10 Things to Know About Rural Hospitals The post Are there maternity care deserts in Oklahoma? appeared first on Oklahoma Watch. ...read more read less