The maternity care in Tennessee varies depending on where you live. Some cities have a ton of options and others have none. We call those areas a maternity care desert. Their closest care could be an hour or more from their home.
You might wonder how this happened. Over the last few years many care centers have closed including birth centers and OBGYN practices that are rural. It seems that either they don't make enough money or an executive has decided that the location was not worth it and moved to a bigger population area. This really hurts the people who need medical help, but can't get it. When
facing the choice of driving over an hour to an appointment or not going at all, they might choose to skip medical care.
The other issue that comes up with a maternal care desert is emergency care. If something happens while she is laboring, it will take a long time to reach support that could be life saving. How do we change that during a time of economic hardship and a medical model that cares more for profits than for the health of the patients?
Doulas (women who support moms during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum) could be a great help in these situations. They are trained to educate families and watch for what is normal and not normal. They also help find resources in their local area or create a new resource for a mom. Having a close connection to families could help improve their success at getting the help they need before issues become worse. For example, they can educate about pre-eclampsia and help a mom see the warning signs and get medical help before it is critical. Doulas can also help families learn how to navigate the health care system to get the care they need.
Doulas can be the missing link to help heal a broken system.
Here is another great article on this: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/as-tennessee-sees-lack-of-maternal-care-its-increasingly-dangerous-to-be-pregnant-in-rural-areas/ar-AA1h32OG
Kommentare