Maternity Care Crisis

In the last decade, there has been a nationwide trend of hospitals suspending their maternity care services, citing lower birth rates, hospital consolidation, and financial factors as their reasons to stop providing this life-saving care. When local hospitals don't offer maternity care, expectant mothers are forced to make sacrifices in their birthing plans and are expected to travel increasing distances in labor.

The average national travel time for women giving birth to the nearest maternity services is 15 minutes, although that travel time is much higher for women living in rural communities. Mothers in these rural communities have experienced increased complications in labor and delivery as a result of the extended travel time to maternity care. That being said, this increased travel time does lead to an increase in the quality of maternity care, as the consolidation of service can lead to improved service. Read more about the complicated dynamics related to these care closures here.