The growing maternal-care desert in Kansas is causing more women in the state to drive long distances for care, with 59% not having any local access to inpatient maternity services.
The KU School of Nursing recently released a report detailing the availability of maternity care across Kansas. The report, “Access to Maternity Care in Kansas,” was produced in collaboration with the Kansas Center for Rural Health with funding from the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund.
Over the last 10 years, many rural hospitals across the country have closed or have stopped offering maternity care services altogether. This includes in Kansas, which is second only to Texas in terms of the number of counties considered rural. Rural hospitals are at an increased risk of closure due to declining occupancy rates, high fixed costs and market pressures.
Access to quality perinatal care, which includes care during pregnancy and after the birth, is critical to the health of newborn babies and their mothers. Closures of hospitals and cessation of maternity services are correlated with more babies being born early, more infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units and more women dying during pregnancy or in childbirth.
The report outlines, by county and ZIP code when possible, the numbers of women of reproductive age in the area, the facilities offering prenatal care or inpatient maternity care; the availability of referral and high-risk services; and the providers accepting patients and offering prenatal or full perinatal services, nursing, anesthesia, behavioral health, lactation, and doula support services. It also provides the distances to facilities with delivery capabilities.
Findings from this report were shared during a webinar June 12, 2025. Below, find the recording and materials provided during the webinar.
WEBINAR MATERIALS:
- REPORT: View the full “Access to Maternity Care in Kansas” report
- SLIDES: View the presentation slides
- RECORDING: View the recording of the webinar
Speakers:
- Lead report author: Karen Weis, Ph.D., FAAN, dean of KU School of Nursing-Salina and Christine A. Hartley Rural Health Nursing professor, followed by a panel discussion with maternal and rural health experts.
- Panel discussion (view bios for the speakers here):
- Anne Dwyer, associate research professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families
- Sapphire Garcia, executive director and founder of the Kansas Birth Justice Society
- Dr. Beth Oller, family medicine physician at Rooks County Health Center
- Cindy Samuelson, senior vice president of member and public relations at the Kansas Hospital Association
Additional resources:
- Links and resources shared during the webinar are listed below:
- Health professional(s) shortage areas – Kansas HPSA map: https://kdhe.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b423eda3bc0047a78384e98d5994d33f
- Kansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative (all birthing hospital plus 11 others): https://kansaspqc.kdhe.ks.gov/initiatives/fourth-trimester-initiative/enrolled-facilities/
- State Medicaid opportunities to support mental health of mothers and babies during the 12-month postpartum period: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2024/01/23/state-medicaid-opportunities-to-support-mental-health-of-mothers-and-babies-during-the-12-month-postpartum-period/
- State opportunities to leverage Medicaid and CHIP coverage to improve maternal health and eliminate racial inequities: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2023/04/25/opportunities-to-leverage-medicaid-and-chip-to-improve-maternal-health-and-eliminate-racial-inequities/
- Medicaid and CHIP cuts in the House-passed reconciliation bill explained: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/05/27/medicaid-and-chip-cuts-in-the-house-passed-reconciliation-bill-explained/
- Medicaid plays a key role for maternal and infant health in rural communities: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/05/15/medicaid-plays-a-key-role-for-maternal-and-infant-health-in-rural-communities/
- How Medicaid supports maternal and infant health: https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/02/28/how-medicaid-supports-maternal-and-infant-health/
- New report from Manatt Health on how “One Big Beautiful Bill” will impact Kansas: https://healthfund.org/a/manatt-medicaidupdate/
- Adoption of Medicaid expansion is associated with lower maternal mortality: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32111417/
- Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) grant:
https://healthfund.org/a/tmah-maternal-health-grant/