PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Family physicians improve rural maternity outcomes but those in high-need states need support

The geographic distribution of family physicians providing maternity care and opportunities for expanding access to care in rural areas

2025-07-28
(Press-News.org) Background and Goal: This study explores the geographic distribution of family physicians providing maternity care and identifies opportunities for family physicians to expand access to maternity care. 

Study Approach: The study merged county-level counts of OB-GYNs, certified nurse-midwives, and hospitals offering obstetric services from the 2021–2022 HRSA Area Health Resource File with 2013–2021 American Board of Family Medicine data on family physicians who reported delivering babies. 

Researchers used a mapping approach to identify three types of vulnerable counties based on the following: family physicians as the only clinician provider of maternity care along with at least one hospital providing obstetric care (‘family physicians with hospitals’); family physicians as the only clinician provider of maternity care with no hospital providing obstetric care (‘family physicians only’); and no clinician providers of maternity care but county has at least one hospital providing obstetric services (‘only hospital’). 

Main Results:

The majority of the 325 vulnerable counties across the three types are rural and concentrated in the central U.S., the upper Midwest, and in Mississippi. More than one-third of these counties are found in just four states: Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. 

‘Only hospital’ counties are located primarily in a few states, including Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, have significantly higher percentages of Black populations, and have higher rates of social deprivation.

‘Family physicians with hospital’ and ‘family physician only’ counties have significantly lower rates of preterm births, low birth weight, and infant mortality when compared to ‘only hospital’ counties.

Why It Matters: While family physicians are providing maternity care in rural areas across the U.S., opportunities exist to expand their reach. The study findings highlight the importance of supporting rural training tracks, obstetric fellowship programs, and obstetric-focused family medicine residency programs in filling high-need area deficits. 

The Geographic Distribution of Family Physicians Providing Maternity Care and Opportunities for Expanding Access to Care in Rural Areas

Michael Topmiller, PhD, et al 

The Robert Graham Center for Policy Studios in Family Medicine, American Academy of Family Physicians, Washington, DC

TEMPORARY LINK

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Tip sheet summaries Annals of Family Medicine July/August 2025

2025-07-28
Editorial Veterans Experiencing Homelessness Who Secure Housing More Likely to Get Cancer Health Screenings Background: This editorial reviews Decker et al’s study of more than 100,000 veterans experiencing homelessness who were overdue for colorectal or breast cancer screening. About 57,000 secured housing during a 24-month window and were more than twice as likely to get screened after doing so.  Editorial Stance: The author calls the findings from Decker et al a “rare, measurable improvement” in care for ...

TFLN-based RGB multiplexer for energy-efficient laser beam scanning

2025-07-28
As technology advances, photonic systems are gaining ground over traditional electronics, using light to transmit and process information more efficiently. One such optical system is laser beam scanning (LBS), where laser beams are rapidly steered to scan, sense, or display information. This technology is used in applications ranging from barcode scanners at grocery stores to laser projectors in light shows. To process a wider range of signals or enable full-color output, these systems utilize multiplexers that merge the red, green, and blue (RGB) laser beams into a single beam. Traditionally, this was achieved ...

On a Florida bombing range, endangered woodpeckers get a second chance

2025-07-28
Florida’s Avon Park bombing range is teeming with life. Over 40 at-risk species occupy this 106,000-acre expanse used by the U.S. Air Force for training exercises.  Conservation biologists from Michigan State University are using the range to test something other than weapons: innovative strategies to save threatened species.  Using decades’ worth of monitoring data, researchers are looking back through time to understand the outcome of interventions designed to rescue a population of imperiled red-cockaded woodpeckers.  What they’ve found is a promising story of success.   Their results, published ...

Study identifies gene clusters in rhizobia linked to robust legume growth

2025-07-28
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a new study, scientists used nearly every tool in their toolkit — genomics, transcriptomics, greenhouse experiments and advanced statistical methods — to gain new insight into the complex chemical interactions that take place in underground root nodules, where legumes like soybeans exchange vital nutrients with soil microbes called rhizobia. Reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, their study identified clusters of rhizobial genes that appear to move rapidly through bacterial populations and drive greater plant biomass ...

Remapping the evolutionary tree of butterflies

2025-07-28
Embargo 28 July 2025 20:00 UK / 15:00 US Eastern Times Peer-reviewed / Experimental / Insects   REMAPPING THE EVOLUTIONARY TREE OF BUTTERFLIES   Some butterflies can smell others of the same species, allowing them to identify each other in areas where multiple species all look the same, new research finds. A large international team has genetically mapped glasswing butterflies found across Central and South America, rewriting the evolutionary tree and highlighting six new species. The ...

Employees who spot problems help the bottom line, so why do leaders give more power to bootlickers?

2025-07-28
Two new studies find that leaders are less likely to empower followers who raise concerns about workplace decisions, even though these “challenging voice” employees play a critical role in highlighting problems and identifying solutions. The studies also outline what drives these decisions. “We know that employee performance improves and employee turnover declines when employees are empowered – that’s good,” says Bradley Kirkman, co-author of a paper on the two studies. “We also know that having employees who use challenging voice are also beneficial to the bottom line – because ...

Could living near water mean you’ll live longer?

2025-07-28
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Living within miles of the ocean breeze may be linked to a longer life, but you shouldn’t count on the same benefits if you live in a riverside city, suggests a recent study. Researchers from The Ohio State University analyzed population data — including life expectancy — in more than 66,000 census tracts throughout the U.S. and compared it based on proximity to waterways. Their study was published online in the journal Environmental Research. A correlation between longer life expectancy and water was clear for those who live within about 30 miles of an ocean or gulf. But for those who live in urban settings and near an inland ...

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome linked to worse surgical outcomes, higher costs

2025-07-28
Key Takeaways Among 3 million surgical patients, 0.5% developed alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), with 0.2% experiencing severe delirium tremens (DT).  AWS was associated with a 37% higher risk of complications, including respiratory failure and sepsis, and a 40% increased mortality risk if DT occurred. Hospital stays were 5 days longer, and costs rose by $10,000 per patient with AWS, totaling $165 million in excess costs nationwide.  CHICAGO — Patients who develop alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) after major surgery face significantly higher risks of complications, longer hospital stays, and increased health care costs, ...

US POINTER trial: Structured lifestyle intervention delays cognitive decline

2025-07-28
About The Study: This randomized clinical trial found that among older adults at risk of cognitive decline and dementia, a structured, higher-intensity intervention of regular moderate-to-high-intensity physical exercise, adherence to the MIND diet, cognitive challenge and social engagement, and cardiovascular health monitoring had a statistically significant greater benefit on global cognition compared with an unstructured, self-guided intervention. Known as the US Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle ...

Detecting a potential behavioral biomarker for Parkinson’s disease in mice

2025-07-28
Detecting early rising Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms could improve treatment outcomes by enabling earlier treatment interventions. In a new eNeuro paper, Daniil Berezhnoi, from Georgetown University, and colleagues used machine learning technology to detect subtle, early rising behavioral changes in mouse models of PD. The researchers also evaluated whether Levodopa, the primary approved treatment for PD, can effectively treat these symptoms.  Berezhnoi et al. used a previously developed motion sequencing platform to evaluate movements of different ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, more accurately, U-M researchers say

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes – new ASAP long-term results

Sperm microRNAs: Key regulators of the paternal transmission of exercise capacity

Seeing double: Clever images open doors for brain research

Inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US

UCLA Health study finds inhalers for asthma and COPD drive significant greenhouse gas emissions

A surgical handover system for patient physiology and safety

Cardiovascular health changes in young adults and risk of later-life cardiovascular disease

Nurse workload and missed nursing care in neonatal intensive care units

How to solve the remote work stalemate – dissertation offers tools for successful hybrid work

Chip-based phonon splitter brings hybrid quantum networks closer to reality

Texas Children’s researchers create groundbreaking tool to improve accuracy of genetic testing

Milken Institute, Ann Theodore Foundation announce more than $2.5 million in new funding for sarcoidosis research and launch new call for proposals

Boston University professor to receive 2025 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award

Pusan National University researchers reveal how forest soil properties influence arsenic mobility and toxicity in soil organisms

Korea University researchers find sweet taste cells resist nerve damage through c-Kit protein

HealthFORCE, AAPA, and West Health release “Aging Well with AI” – first in a two part series on AI and the healthcare workforce

The real reasons Endurance sank — study finds Shackleton knew of ship’s shortcomings

Marine heatwaves have hidden impacts on ocean food webs and carbon cycling

Order from disordered proteins

Rocket test proves bacteria survive space launch and re-entry unharmed

New wheat diversity discovery could provide an urgently-needed solution to global food security

Could reducing inflammation help combat fatigue in people with early-stage breast cancer?

Traumatic brain injuries in older adults linked to increased risk of dementia

New intervention helps pediatricians promote early peanut introduction to prevent peanut allergy

New survey: Most Americans believe plasma donation saves lives, yet few have donated

New tools boost pediatricians’ adherence to peanut allergy guidelines 15-fold

Research unearths origins of Ancient Egypt’s Karnak Temple

Reevaluating nonoperative management for pediatric uncomplicated acute appendicitis

Metabolically active visceral fat linked to aggressive endometrial cancer, new study reveals

[Press-News.org] Family physicians improve rural maternity outcomes but those in high-need states need support
The geographic distribution of family physicians providing maternity care and opportunities for expanding access to care in rural areas