Labor and delivery units decreasing in rural areas

Patients who live in rural areas are now driving even further for obstetric care as rural hospitals close their labor and delivery units. An article published by Health Services Research looked at rural hospitals across nine states with at least 10 births in 2010. Of those 306 hospitals, 7% (21) closed their obstetric units between 2010 and 2014. These units were smaller in size, more likely to be privately owned, and located in communities with lower family income, fewer obstetricians, and fewer family physicians. Prenatal care was still available in 17 of 19 communities, but local women would need to travel an average of 29 additional miles to access intrapartum care. About 500,000 women give birth each year in rural hospitals.

Source: Health Services Research