35% of U.S. Counties Are Maternity Deserts—Midwives Step In as Hospital OB Units Close
The 2026 March of Dimes report reveals that 35% of U.S. counties lack maternity care services, and more than half have no hospital obstetric unit. Community midwives like Alabama’s Nadia Gramby are filling the gap, but the crisis exposes deep racial disparities and demands systemic changes in how maternal care is delivered and funded.