Rural women's perceptions of community prenatal care systems: an empowerment strategy.

Rural U.S. women often experience many barriers to prenatal care involving health care provider shortages, distance to health care, and less health insurance coverage as compared to urban women. Fewer community planning and consumer resources as well as less transportation also often decrease opportunities for rural women to participate in community health planning and assessment. The purpose of this article is to describe social work strategies for empowering rural women in their assessment of community prenatal care systems. A case study of a rural demonstration project addressing prenatal care barriers is presented as well as implications for social work practice.