CLEARWATER— Jennifer Rice, New Democrat spokesperson for northern Rand rural health, will visit Clearwater, Ashcroft and Quesnel 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 maternal health,” 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.”

Rice will also visit Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, Bella Bella, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson and the Peace Valley on her Maternity Matters tour.

“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 maternal care.”