Nine Wisconsin Counties Named Maternity Care Deserts

Nine rural Wisconsin counties—Adams, Douglas, Forest, Kewaunee, Lafayette, Marquette, Oconto, Pepin, and Rusk—have been identified as maternity care deserts, lacking hospitals, birth centers, or obstetric providers to deliver babies[1][3][5]. This means about 15.3% of the state's counties offer no local maternity services, leaving residents to travel long distances for care[1][5]. Governor Tony Evers recently signed a bill extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from two months to a full year, a move aimed at supporting new mothers in these vulnerable areas[2][4].

The March of Dimes 2024 report pinpointed these mostly rural counties as deserts, where access gaps fuel higher maternal and infant mortality risks—up 34.2% for mothers and 18.3% for babies in high-desert states, per Yale researchers[1][3]. Black women and rural residents face elevated dangers, with Wisconsin's rural hospitals closing labor units due to clinician shortages, as noted by the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health[1][11]. Nationally, rural obstetric losses continue, but Wisconsin still fares better than many neighbors[7][11].

For Milwaukee residents, this hits close to home: family and friends in these counties endure risky drives for prenatal or emergency care, straining the state's overall maternal health system[1][9]. The Medicaid extension offers relief, ensuring low-income moms get checkups and mental health support during a period when a third of maternal deaths occur[4][8].

The new law takes effect soon, with advocates pushing for more rural incentives to attract providers and prevent further closures[2][6].