2026 OCAP State of the Child Report

EARLY PRENATAL CARE RIVERSIDE COUNTY MAKING STEADY GAINS BUT RACIAL AND

ETHNIC DISPARITIES PERSIST DESCRIPTION OF INDICATOR

This indicator tracks the percentage of infants born to people whose prenatal care began during the first three months of pregnancy.

Why is this indicator important?

Findings 1 • Riverside County’s access to early prenatal care continued to make steady gains to more than 85.4% in the reporting period 2021-2023, according to trend data from the state. This progress reflects expanded Medi-Cal coverage, clinic outreach, and broader awareness of the importance of early appointments. More families understand when and how to begin care. • The gains were not uniform. Racial and ethnic disparities persist, with Native American/ Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander populations experiencing later entry (although with significant gains) between the 2015-2017 and 2021-2023 reporting periods. • Riverside County’s overall trajectory is encouraging. The county now outperforms several large California counties on early prenatal care, and its upward trend suggests investments in access and education are making a measurable difference.

Prenatal care remained a central public health focus in Riverside County from 2015-2017 through 2021-2023. Early prenatal care in the first trimester is widely recognized as a key factor in healthy pregnancies because it allows providers to identify risks sooner, support nutrition and mental health needs, and monitor conditions that can lead to preterm birth or infant loss.

1 California Department of Public Health. (n.d.). Prenatal care dashboard. https://go.cdph.ca.gov/Prenatal-Care-Dashboard

10