Alabama’s Rural Maternity Care Crisis

Alabama has seen a staggering amount of labor and delivery departments close in the last year, mimicking that national maternity care crisis that is leaving poor, rural communities across the country without access to comprehensive, close by maternity care. The closures in rural Alabama have forced expectant patients to drive more than an hour to reach the nearest hospital that provides obstetric services. These closures are due because of the high cost associated with providing labor and delivery services. The national closures of labor and delivery services reflect our healthcare system’s consistent prioritizing of profits over patients. Read more here.