1-21-19 maternity care-rural access

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Women in rural Wisconsin often have to travel long distances to access maternity care.   American Medical Association statistics show 20 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties don’t have an OB-GYN.  Beth Miller lives in the small northwestern town of Trego, a 45-minute drive from the closest hospital that delivers babies. Miller says she thought she was going to have to give birth in the car when she went into labor in February.  She says she knows of other mothers who have had to do so, as well as women who drive hours to get to OB-GYN appointments.  Wisconsin’s shortage of obstetric services isn’t unique. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists estimates that the U.S. will have between 6,000 and 8,000 fewer OB-GYNs than needed by 2020.

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