From DesMoinesRegister.com
Physicians, advocates and other concerned Iowans made their appeals to the Iowa Board of Medicine Thursday as the state medical regulatory body moves forward with its rulemaking effort for the state’s 6-week abortion ban…
The state has long struggled to maintain an adequate maternal healthcare workforce, especially in rural areas of the state. A third of Iowa’s 99 counties are considered maternity care deserts, meaning there are no OB-GYNs practicing in that county and no birthing hospitals or birthing centers for patients to receive care, according to the March of Dimes.
Dr. Emily Boevers, an OB-GYN practicing in Waverly, said during Thursday’s meeting that she is the sole provider offering pregnancy care at her hospital because the facility has struggled to hire another OB-GYN.
“Obstetrician-gynecologists are already rare in Iowa, and we are one of the states with the least number of obstetrician-gynecologists per capita for our patients,” she said. “I do anticipate that adopting rules like these will make that situation even harder.”
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