Many babies in California's Yuba and Sutter counties get bad start

Rural areas often struggle with healthcare access and use, but the California counties of Yuba and Sutter stand apart. Almost half of pregnant women in the counties don't see a doctor during their first trimester, the highest rate in the state. About one in 10 don't see a doctor until the third trimester, or even until their deliveries. There are several factors that may contributed to the trend: In addition to high rates of undocumented immigrants and high school dropouts who may not realize the importance of prenatal care, poverty and substance abuse are more prevalent than in most other California counties of a similar size.