Rural communities in Illinois and across the country are attracting more diverse populations and maternal care experts said it is adding yet another layer to an already complex set of barriers hindering access to care.
Research shows the lack of birthing hospitals, provider shortages and long travel distances plaguing rural areas can lead to delayed prenatal care and higher rates of poor health outcomes for moms and their babies.
Karen Tabb Dina, professor of social work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said rural communities are also increasingly becoming destinations for immigrant populations.
"Demographics in rural areas are changing," Tabb Dina explained. "We have families who are speaking Kaqchikel, the Mayan language, or Spanish or French. Imagine having limited access to health care based on geographic barriers and then you also do not engage with the language of the clinic."
More than a third of counties in Illinois are considered maternity care deserts, with less than 2% of OB-GYNs practicing in rural areas. Illinois is focusing on financial incentives, leveraging midwives and utilizing nearly a billion dollars in federal funding to address the crisis.
Tabb Dina stressed when it comes to perinatal mental health providers, the shortage is even greater, especially concerning given mental health conditions are the leading cause of maternal deaths. She noted parents are at highest risk of experiencing adverse mental and physical outcomes during the postpartum period but most are unaware of the signs to look for.
"In the postpartum period, especially in rural areas where we have high isolation, where people might be facing a perinatal mental health challenge by themselves for the first time while caring for a tiny human, and they don't have the resources," Tabb Dina outlined.
Tabb Dina added to meet the need, more states, including Illinois, are providing perinatal psychiatric access programs to assist front line providers. People in need of postpartum support can call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 833-TLC-MAMA to be connected with professionals and resources in their area.
Source: Public News Service
