HIGHEST SEVERE MATERNAL MORBIDITY RATE AMONG NEIGHBORING COUNTIES
Increasing the number of women who receive early prenatal care (in the first trimester of pregnancy) can improve birth outcomes and lower health care costs by reducing the likelihood of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Babies born to mothers who do not receive prenatal care are three times more likely to have a low birth weight and five times more likely to die than those born to mothers who do get care. Early prenatal care allows women and their health care providers to identify and, when possible, treat health problems and address health-compromising behaviors that can be particularly damaging during the initial stages of fetal development.1 This indicator tracks early prenatal care rates for San Bernardino County, including detail by race and ethnicity. Severe maternal morbidity is also tracked.
TREND
While the rate of San Bernardino County mothers receiving early prenatal care fluctuates, more mothers received early prenatal care in 2024 than 2023 (82.9% and 81.5%, respectively). Early prenatal care rates improved for mothers of all races/ethnicities, except for Asian/Pacific Islanders, who saw a slight decline in early prenatal care from 83.1% in 2023 to 82.6% in 2024.
Over the past 10 years, the number of live births in San Bernardino County decreased 17%, from 30,530 live births in 2015 to 25,374 in 2024.
COUNTYWIDE AVERAGE PRENATAL CARE RATE INCREASES SLIGHTLY IN 2024
Percentage of Mothers Receiving Early Prenatal Care by Race and Ethnicity in San Bernardino County, 2015-2024
What is Healthy People 2030?
Healthy People 2030 is a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative that establishes national objectives to improve the health of all Americans, to eliminate disparities in health, and to increase the years and quality of healthy life.
RACE/ETHNICITY DETAIL
Sixty-five percent (65%) of mothers receiving early prenatal care in 2024 identified as Hispanic/Latino, while 17% identified as White. Similarly, the majority of births in San Bernardino County are to Hispanic/Latino mothers (65%), followed by White mothers (17%), indicating that the proportion of mothers of different race and ethnicities receiving prenatal care is proportionate to the racial/ethnic composition of the population of mothers who give birth. In the accompanying chart, the distribution of San Bernardino County births by race and ethnicity is provided for context.
RACE/ETHNICITY DISTRIBUTION OF MOTHERS RECEIVING EARLY PRENATAL CARE IS IN LINE WITH BIRTHS
Race/Ethnicity Distribution of Early Prenatal Care and Births in San Bernardino County, 2024
THE HIGHEST RATE OF SEVERE MATERNAL MORBIDITY AMONG COUNTIES COMPARED AND HIGHER THAN THE STATE
Severe Maternal Morbidity Rate per 10,000 Deliveries, County Comparison, 2024
Severe maternal morbidity includes unexpected and potentially life-threatening complications from labor and delivery, such as hemorrhage, infection, and cardiac arrests. At 125.8 per 10,000 deliveries, San Bernardino County has the highest rate of severe maternal morbidity among counties compared and a higher rate than the state. The rate of severe maternal morbidity has increased 12% in the five-year period between 2020 and 2024, from 112.0 to 125.8 per 10,000 deliveries.
[1] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo/prenatal-care (accessed February 12, 2026)