Utah’s maternal health care workforce shortages expected to keep growing

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A new report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, shared that Utah’s maternal health care workforce shortages are expected to grow in the coming decades.

“Utah’s maternal health workforce is under-resourced, with several communities currently experiencing a shortfall of maternal health care providers,” said Melanie Beagley, senior health research analyst at the Gardner Institute and lead author of the report. “Unfortunately, this gap is expected to grow over the coming decades.”

Anna West with Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, said that the report details the challenges facing maternal health care in Utah.

“The report highlights three main areas of concern: distance to care, access to maternal mental health treatment, and preventative health care for Utah women,” West said. “Through our work to ensure adequate distribution of health care providers in rural and underserved areas, we hope to ensure all Utahns have the opportunity to live safe and healthy lives.”

Key findings of the report

West, along with Nick Thiriot of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, shared key findings of the report:

Maternal health workforce shortages: 22 of Utah’s 29 counties are designated primary care workforce shortage areas. Over 77% of Utah’s 2023 births involved mothers residing within these 22 counties.

Access to birthing hospitals: In five Utah counties, the average travel time to a birthing hospital is over 60 minutes (Kane, Wayne, Emery, Daggett, and Rich counties). Travel time is a concern, as well as treatment delays. Affiliated challenges include the resources needed to travel, such as gas money, reliable vehicles, missed work, lost wages, and childcare. These barriers are especially challenging for low-income and rural Utah families.

Maternal health outcomes: Utah reports better maternal health outcomes compared to national estimates; however, poor maternal health outcomes are higher among Utah’s racial and ethnic minority populations and women giving birth at later ages.

Contributing factors to maternal deaths: Mental health, substance use disorders, and obesity are the most common contributing factors to maternal deaths in Utah. Access is another key contributing factor. More than 1 in 4 women who died during pregnancy or postpartum had at least one barrier to accessing health care.

Varying prevalence of risk factors for poor maternal health outcomes: The prevalence of maternal health risk factors in Utah varies by geography and population group. Physical and mental health conditions, health care access barriers, and poverty are more prevalent among women living in Utah’s rural counties and Utah’s racial and ethnic minority women.

Increasing rates of poor health: The prevalence of poor physical and mental health among Utah women of reproductive age is rising, with rates of poor mental health increasing by 18.7 percentage points in 10 years, putting more women at higher risk for pregnancy complications.

The full report can be found here.