Health officials warn of 'maternal deserts'; Blue Cross to roll out maternity program with prenatal vitamins and remote monitoring

State health officials told the joint committee that several Wyoming county subdivisions no longer host labor‑and‑delivery services and that closures have left new maternal health “deserts” in parts of the state. Deputy director Franz Fuchs said the department used the March of Dimes definition and its own mapping to mark communities that never had services, places that recently lost services and counties that show warning signs of service loss.

The issue matters because many rural communities have no nearby labor‑and‑delivery capacity and because Medicaid covers a significant share of births. Fuchs noted that hospital viability — staffing, low delivery volumes and tighter nursing labor markets — is the primary driver of closures. "Labor and delivery closures are really a symptom … of a broader financial stress on the…