More rural hospitals closing labor and delivery units

Faced with financial challenges, a growing number of rural hospitals have shuttered their labor and delivery units, forcing pregnant women to travel farther for care (Source: “As Rural Hospitals Struggle, Some Opt To Close Labor And Delivery Units,” Kaiser Health News, Feb. 23, 2016).

About 500,000 women give birth each year in rural hospitals, yet access to labor and delivery units has been declining. Comprehensive figures are spotty, but an analysis of 306 rural hospitals in nine states with large rural populations found that 7.2 percent closed their obstetrics units between 2010 and 2014.

There are many factors that contribute to the decline in rural hospital obstetrics services. For one thing, obstetrics units are expensive to operate, and a small rural hospital may deliver fewer than 100 babies a year.

It can be difficult to staff the units as well. Small rural hospitals may not have obstetricians on staff and rely instead on local family physicians, but it can be difficult to get enough to fully provide services for a hospital, too. Nurses with obstetrics experience also can be scarce.