LAUSR

The best outcome of a pregnancy when there is fetal or maternal distress is prompt delivery of the fetus. However, as documented in the study by Uribe-Leitz et al 1 entitled, “Geospatial Analysis of Access to Emergency Cesarian Delivery for Military and Civilian Populations in the US,” only 70% of civilian women currently have access to cesarean delivery within 30 minutes of their home. That percentage is further reduced among women covered by military TRICARE insurance, in which prompt access to emergency obstetric care is available to only 50% of pregnant women. Using geospatial analysis of existing military medical treatment facilities (MTFs), the authors found that expanding obstetric capabilities at these MTFs could benefit an additional 160000 TRICARE beneficiaries and more than 2 million civilian women, particularly those living in rural areas of the western and southeastern US. 1