DAWSON CREEK— Jennifer Rice, New Democrat spokesperson for northern and rural health, will visit Dawson Creek on March 3 to hear from parents, advocates and service providers about access to maternity care.

“One of the biggest issues I hear about when talking about rural health is timely access to care during pregnancy,” said Rice, the MLA for North Coast.

“Expectant mothers in rural B.C. often find themselves having to travel long distances to see doctors, midwives or obstetricians, or for ultrasounds or other basic services that women in larger centres take for granted. If their pregnancy is high risk, those appointments are even more frequent, and the stress and travel time is even greater.”

Dawson Creek will be the fifth stop on Rice’s province-wide Maternity Matters tour. In recent months, she has visited Bella Bella, Quesnel, Ashcroft and Clearwater, and she plans to visit communities on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, and in the Southern Interior, in the months to come.

“The purpose of the tour is to hear from parents, advocates and service providers and talk about practical solutions, so that women in northern and rural communities have fair access to basic maternity care,” said Rice.