Where mothers die, and where care exists.

Each circle is one county in Arkansas, Mississippi, or Alabama. Color shows the regional maternal mortality rate (deaths per 100,000 live births); size shows the number of birth centers in that county. Hollow rings mark counties with none.

Access alone does not explain the pattern. Some of the highest-mortality regions have many facilities; some of the lowest-mortality regions have few. The crisis is not only about distance to a hospital.