Maternity care deserts affect more than 180,000 women in Georgia, South Carolina

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - One in every two counties in Georgia is a maternity care desert, leaving more than 180,000 women across Georgia and South Carolina without adequate access to maternal health services, according to the March of Dimes 2026 Maternity Care Access Report.

Maternity care deserts are defined as counties with no hospital or birthing center offering labor and delivery services.

Scope of the problem

The report found 158,000 women and 10,000 births in Georgia and 24,000 women and 1,000 births in South Carolina are affected by healthcare access limitations each year.

Tamara Mason, March of Dimes Georgia director, said the distance from care can cause expecting mothers to miss vital appointments or create financial burdens.

“How am I going to pay for this hotel? Do I need to work extra shifts? You know, it’s a lot and it’s not fair,” Mason said.

Impact on hospitals and NICUs

Dr. Brad Buckler, Memorial Health’s medical director of the neonatal unit, said maternity deserts are affecting their NICU, which has seen a significant increase in volume over recent months.

“Seeing a significant increase in our NICU volume over the last 6 to 9 months — so much so that the state of Georgia just granted us another 7 neonatal beds,” Buckler said. “So currently we are 92 NICU but the state has given us the ability to go to 99 beds.”

Buckler said women in maternity care deserts are often forced to deliver at facilities without the appropriate specialists on hand.

“Lots of spontaneous labor, precipitously, and I have to go to the closest hospital even though they don’t have an OB/GYN or a pediatric team that can care for the mom and the baby — so that number one puts them in increased risk for issues and problems upward towards even mortality,” Buckler said.

Outreach and proposed solutions

Buckler said Memorial Health has an outreach program targeting hospitals and communities most affected by the shortage.

“We go to these hospitals, do some teaching in their ER and their newborn nursery in their labor and deliveries to make sure that those providers are able to provide the best care for those patients locally,” Buckler said.

A maternal care advocate and local mother said easing restrictions on midwifery care could help address the shortage.

“There is an existing workforce that isn’t able to give the level of care that could help solve a lot of these problems,” she said.

March of Dimes recommends short-term solutions including forming rideshare groups with other expecting mothers and utilizing telehealth care options. For long-term change, the organization encourages mothers to contact state and local lawmakers about limitations on access to maternal care.