Women’s health care shortages in Milford and the surrounding area are drawing increasing concern as new data shows a widening gap between rising health risks for women and declining access to specialized care across Kent and Sussex counties.
Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Delaware, while cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death. Yet access to early detection and treatment is increasingly strained by workforce shortages, including the loss of talented doctors due to hospital politics. Delaware meets only 16 percent of its primary care needs statewide, with southern Delaware experiencing some of the most significant access gaps.
At the same time, the loss of women’s health providers has accelerated in recent years. In Sussex County, multiple OB-GYN practices have closed or reduced services, and TidalHealth Nanticoke lost nearly all of its OB-GYN physicians following system changes. These closures reflect a broader trend tied to cost pressures, liability insurance, and workforce burnout. Nationally, the U.S. is projected to face a shortage of 5,000 OB-GYNs by 2030, further intensifying local impacts.
Despite these losses, there is little evidence of meaningful replacement in the Milford area. Sussex County alone currently needs more than 21 additional physicians to meet demand, and Delaware ranks among the lowest states for physician availability. Recruitment efforts continue, but new OB-GYN providers are largely filling existing gaps rather than expanding access. Even more concerning is the lack of documented growth in specialized fields such as breast surgery, oncoplastic surgery, and gynecologic oncology, forcing many patients to seek care outside the region.
This imbalance between provider loss and limited recruitment has direct implications for outcomes. When women face delays in securing OB-GYN appointments or must travel for specialty care, screenings such as mammograms and cardiovascular evaluations are often postponed, increasing the likelihood of late-stage diagnoses and more severe disease progression.
Governor Matt Meyer has stated that improving access to healthcare in rural areas is a focus for his administration.
“It’s not possible for us to address the health care crisis… unless we truly address that workforce shortage,” Meyer said.
His administration’s plan includes developing Delaware’s first medical school to create a “train here, stay here” pipeline, expanding mobile health units to bring services—including maternal and preventive care—into underserved communities, and offering financial incentives for providers who commit to practicing in rural areas.
Local providers say a medical school in Delaware will help, but retaining good physicians is also a problem. Karen Barbosa, an oncoplastic surgeon whose contract was not renewed by Beebe Hospital in January, has expressed a commitment to keeping her practice in Delaware but faces ongoing challenges finding another area in Delaware to relocate. In some cases, she is told that a hospital “already has a breast surgeon,” indicating hospital administrators are not seeing the bigger picture regarding women’s health, stating that one breast surgeon is simply not enough. Her experience reflects a broader reality for providers attempting to deliver comprehensive women’s health services in underserved areas.
State and federal funding initiatives may provide a pathway to address the women’s health care shortage in rural areas like Milford. Delaware has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in federal rural health transformation funding, with proposals totaling up to $1 billion aimed at expanding access, strengthening the healthcare workforce, and improving outcomes in Kent and Sussex counties.
Meyer has also underscored the urgency of geographic disparities, noting that “a person’s zip code should never dictate the quality of care they receive,” as the state opens funding opportunities specifically targeting rural healthcare access and workforce expansion. Yet when asked about situations like Barbosa, who was one of three doctors at Beebe whose contracts were suddenly not renewed, Meyer remains silent.
As Milford and surrounding communities continue to grow, healthcare leaders and advocates say addressing the women’s health care shortage in Milford will require targeted investment, better provider retention strategies, and expanded support for specialized care. Without intervention, the gap between women’s health needs and available services is expected to persist, leaving many without timely access to critical care.
