An Overview of Maternal and Infant Health Services in Rural America*

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Economically disadvantaged rural families, like their urban counterparts, face significant difficulties obtaining adequate maternity and infant health care resulting, in part, from an unequal distribution of resources as well as economic and racial barriers to health care nationwide. Rural women and infants must contend with additional access problems that reflect the inherent constraints of rural existence as well as specific state policies that exacerbate the barriers associated with isolation. This article provides an overview of the availability and accessibility of maternal and infant health services in nonmetropolitan America and identifies policy reforms to improve access to care.