Over a third of U.S. counties (35.1%) are what the March of Dimes calls “maternity care deserts,” meaning they don't have a single doctor, nurse, midwife or medical center specializing in maternity care. Dr. Kim Brooks is a study in why this is happening: She is an OBGYN who fled Tennessee after Roe v Wade was overturned out of fear of criminalization of abortion care, who now lives in Appalachian North Carolina where she sees Tennesseans who drive long, treacherous roads to reach her.
But Dr. Brooks is just one aspect of the story of the splintering of American healthcare.
Healthcare in the U.S. has splintered into two groups: the haves and the have-nots. More and more Americans are falling into the have-not camp, especially with harmful legislation coming out of Washington DC that threatens funding and practitioners.
Additionally, rural hospitals and clinics are closing at an astonishing rate. These hospitals operate on slim margins with lower patient volume, and thus lower ability for reimbursement.
Cuts to programs like Medicaid are devastating for rural areas.
The outlook is bleak, but there are people who are stepping into bridge the gap and offer care. Pharmacists in rural areas are offering care, small clinics are sending midwives into maternal health deserts, and organizations are helping patients access the care they need, from providing funding for procedures, to physically helping transport patients to care locations.
Standing in the Gap is a strategic narrative designed to be a deliberate choice to highlight healthcare access gaps where audiences live: on the mobile screens of the Americans currently residing in healthcare deserts, as well as those who have no idea that such glaring disparities exist in our own backyards. Each subject is portrayed as a concentrated burst of storytelling designed to stop the scroll, restore agency, and drive viewers toward democratic action.
We have released over 65 shorts on social media in an effort to educate Americans that these disparities exist, and to encourage folks to register to vote. The series has netted 600K views across social media; our goal is to introduce audiences to the characters and the issues and then be able to create a feature-length film that goes deeper with these characters, and with solutions. We need funding to accomplish that goal.
