While maternal mortality rates continue to rise across the United States, Indigenous mothers remain the most at risk of dying during or after pregnancy.On a small reservation in the northeast corner of South Dakota, a beige, one-story building here serves the healthcare needs of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.
Nearly 25 percent of South Dakota women live over 30 minutes away from a birthing hospital compared to a 10 percent nationwide average. Western South Dakota reservations experience abnormally long commute times to birthing centers, sometimes over 118 miles, or 128 minutes.to lead to higher rates of poor birthing outcomes such as preterm births and infant and maternal mortality. Indigenous women in South Dakota already experience disproportionate rates of negative birth outcomes.
“We’re taking steps to adapt to this. One of the changes we’re planning for is having some of my core visitors including myself become doulas and attend doula training,” said Leona Iyarpeya, a Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate citizen and manager of her tribe’s Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. “I think we’re pretty prepared, but I do see that number increasing and hitting the 40 marker as one of our services is transportation.
Obstetrics doesn’t generate a lot of revenue for hospitals, especially those in rural communities. Kantos said 45 babies were born at Coteau Des Prairies in 2023, and the hospital only had one obstetrics provider during that time. Half of the counties in the United States lack an obstetrics provider, according to a report from the
Research in general is limited when it comes to Indigenous mothers and pregnancy complications. Best is currently working to research conditions like pre-eclampsia, though he’s faced barriers when obtaining records and data in areas with large Indigenous populations.
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