FOX 25 Oklahoma City recently spoke with Blake Porter, M.D., chief of teleMaternal-Fetal Medicine at Access TeleCare, about a new March of Dimes report drawing attention to the increasing number of “maternity care deserts” across Oklahoma and the Midwest.
For Dr. Porter, the issue is also close to home. An Oklahoma resident with deep ties to the state’s healthcare community, he told FOX 25 that the number of maternity care deserts has grown as maternity care centralizes in urban areas. He cites both physicians choosing to practice in urban areas and ongoing labor and delivery unit closures as key factors behind the trend.
One way to address the shortage of maternity care in rural communities is through telehealth, placing obstetricians in communities via telemedicine.
“Telehealth has a huge opportunity to impact and reduce maternal care deserts and the complications that go along with that,” said Dr. Porter.
Read the full FOX 25 report to hear more from Dr. Porter on Oklahoma’s maternity care deserts and the role telehealth can play in expanding access. Read the full story.
