Maternal Care

California’s labor and delivery (L&D) needs are changing. Over the past decade, the state’s birth rate decreased 21% and 50 hospital L&D units closed. This, coupled with disparities in health outcomes for Black mothers, has placed maternal health in California in the spotlight.

Hospitals are developing innovative approaches to providing maternity care, recognizing that access is key to improving outcomes and reducing disparities — but there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Charting a path forward on this complex issue requires considering a community’s unique needs, including access to facilities and clinical specialists, availability of prenatal and perinatal services, the distance patients must travel to receive care, and more.