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Women's Health

OB-GYN trains others to help after Mississippi closes maternity wards and patients lose care

Labor and delivery departments are shutting down all over the state leaving pregnant people scrambling.

maternal mortality; Mississippi maternity crisis; infant mortality; OB-GYN trains emergency staff; Dobbs decision

OB-GYN trains emergency staff as Mississippi closes maternity wards

After the overturning of the Dobbs decision, people have been doing what they can to mitigate the repercussions but one of the first states to ban abortion is failing pregnant people in an unexpected way. Mississippi is one of the few states that had a trigger law in place before Dobbs was overturned. The law was set to go in place as soon as the Supreme Court turned the matter of abortion over to the states.

Some people celebrated that decision while doctors and other medical professionals prepared for the impact. While Mississippi doctors knew there would be an influx of dangerous situations, Mississippians weren't prepared for the wide closure of labor and delivery departments across the state. Some in areas that where people already have to drive more than an hour away to get to maternity care.

This measure is not only to save money but because there's now a shortage in obstetricians. The move is putting more pregnant people and newborns at risk as one OB-GYN attempts to prepare hospitals in the state for babies being born in the emergency room.


Dr. Rachel Morris is an OB-GYN based in Jackson, Mississippi who started a program called Stork at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. After noticing the sharp increase in maternal mortality and morbidity rates of pregnant people in the state, Morris knew something had to be done. Stork provides training to emergency workers on how to deliver babies, help the mom recover and care for newborns after delivery.

"We started noticing increasing trends of maternal mortality and morbidity," Morris tells CBS. "In the state of Mississippi almost ninety percent of the deaths that we encountered from 2017 to 2019, we're talking pre-covid, were preventable."

woman holding pregnant belly

OB-GYN trains emergency staff as Mississippi closes maternity wards

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Mississippi has been leading the country in infant mortality for a while the maternal mortality rate is worsening according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. The department reports that "43% of maternal deaths were directly related to pregnancy," and 87.5% were preventable. It also highlights that Black women were four times more likely to die pregnancy related deaths than white non-Hispanic women.

Yet, it the past year the only neonatal intensive care unit in the most rural and poorest part of Mississippi closed while some maternity wards in the state have shut down. The closures are affecting people across the state and isn't isolated to the rural Delta community. Upworthy spoke with a woman who lives on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and expecting her third child who has had several major complications and requires extra care.

Hadley Hill is a young mom and teacher that enjoyed her experience with working with a midwife and delivering her second child at Singing River Hospital in Gulfport. She expected to have the same wonderful experience with her third, a baby boy, but early on Hill and her husband found out the baby had complications that would require further monitoring. The mom made a plan with her medical team to stick with her midwife and do follow ups with the OB-GYN as needed.

Things were going smoothly and the baby's complications were being addressed but when she went in for her last appointment a couple of weeks ago, she was informed it would be her last visit. The labor and delivery department was closing and the midwife was no longer with the practice.

"We had been seeing her regularly, along with a few other doctors because of the complications," Hill told Upworthy. "I hadn't seen my midwife for a few visits, but I thought nothing of it because I had been seen by other people. It wasn't until my most recent doctors appointment, the first visit of my third trimester, that the nurse asked me who was going to be delivering."

baby lying in incubator

OB-GYN trains emergency staff as Mississippi closes maternity wards

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash


This wasn't a smooth transition for Hill and she still hasn't located a new doctor or hospital she feels comfortable delivering her son.

"I'll either have to deliver at Memorial Hospital with a new doctor this late into pregnancy or risk traveling an hour while in labor to New Orleans to keep my current midwife," Hill explains.

After a previous bad experience delivering her first child with Memorial Hospital, Hill is reluctant to deliver another child there. But she feels like she has little choice since she works full time and has two other children, there's little time in the day to find another OB-GYN that delivers at a hospital she can get to.

"Mississippi is setting us up for failure. Pregnant people living in Mississippi deserve safe and reliable access to healthcare, and it doesn't seem to be a priority," Hill tells Upworthy. "I can't tell you how many times I look at what other states are doing for their pregnant population and wonder how nice that must be. Here we can't even dream of paid maternity leave, we're too busy searching for doctors and hospitals to safely deliver our babies."

There are more pregnant people like Hill just learning of the closures and attempting to navigate a severely broken system in the state. Analyzing their risks for having to deliver out of state or driving hours to get to the nearest labor and delivery department. Until things start to turn around in Mississippi, programs like Stork will be pregnant people's lifeline and the waiting list for trainings is currently six months long.

All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

True

A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.
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