Click on it to biggify and or visit http://www.sdsafebirth.org/ for more info. That is a sobering image, is it not? Now, the geographer in me must be fair and compare this with a population map. 
Click on this one to biggify too.
Obviously we DO have a correlation here. Birthin' facilities are reserved for population centers. The majority of our population can safely drive an hour or less to encounter trained staff to assist with their birth. But what about all the people who can't? Sure they're a minority, but doesn't the need for medical treatment and safety apply equally to all people? I'd like to know how many people in these counties without services DO birth at home? How many people need to drive more than an hour to reach delivery services?
2 comments:
Carrie - When I lived in Pierre, one of the things that I learned was that South Dakota has a huge number of planned c-sections. More than the rest of the country - especially western south dakota. But women who live here don't want to take a chance of delivering at home - or take a chance getting stuck in a blizzard - will often plan the birth.
TwinKnitting (Raverly)
oh- now that IS interesting information. I might have to look into figuring those numbers into my research. I'm hoping to present on this at a regional Amer. Assoc. Geographers meeting...
I wouldn't mind if some of the research influenced legislation either... especially if it were in time for my OWN child's birth....
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