Fort Worth earns D- grade on infant health, new report finds. Here’s why
Fort Worth’s preterm birth rate improved slightly last year, but is still worse than it was five years ago, according to a new report.
The city’s share of babies born too early went from 11.5% in 2023 to 11.3% last year, according to the 2025 annual report from March of Dimes. Fort Worth’s birth rate earned a “D-” score from the nonprofit, which evaluates cities with more than 100,000 residents and with the most live births. A premature birth is any birth that occurs before 37 weeks gestation. Last year’s rate is still worse than the city’s preterm birth rate from five years ago, which was 11%.
“The simplest way to think about it is they’re really not finished doing all the growing and developing that they need to do,” said Dr. Michael Warren, the chief medical officer of March of Dimes.
Fort Worth’s preterm birth rate is considerably worse than neighboring Dallas, which has a preterm birth rate of 9.2%.
Warren said that babies born prematurely are at greater risk of infection, are more likely to be admitted to the NICU for specialized care, and are more likely to die before their first birthday.
Statewide, about 11.1% of babies are born early, compared to about 10.4% nationwide. The problem is particularly acute for Black infants, who have a preterm birth rate of 14.7%.
The March of Dimes report offered several policy recommendations to improve maternal and infant health, including expanding Medicaid health insurance to be available to more low-income adults in Texas. Currently, Texas is one of ten states that has not expanded Medicaid, meaning very few adults are eligible for the state and federal health insurance program unless they have a disability or are pregnant.
“Much of preterm birth has to do with mom’s health before she even becomes pregnant,” Warren said.
Warren applauded Texas for extending Medicaid coverage for pregnant moms to a year postpartum, but said it was still important for people to have health insurance before becoming pregnant.
“We still have this gap in coverage before women ever become pregnant,” Warren said.
Another policy recommendation from March of Dimes is to make doula care eligible for Medicaid reimbursement. A doula is a nonmedical professional who supports new moms during the pregnancy and birthing process. About half of all births in Texas are paid for by Medicaid.
“Doula reimbursement is fundamentally key to making sure that women have access to doula services,” Warren said.
The United Way of Tarrant County has prioritized training doulas as a way to improve maternal and infant health in Tarrant County. The nonprofit has trained 120 community doulas to work with new moms in Tarrant County.
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 3:47 PM.
