Rural Hospital Hope

As labor and delivery units close across the country, more mothers are forced to make hard choices as they plan for birth; however, one hospital in rural Minnesota is fighting to keep care accessible. Labor and delivery units are expensive to run, requiring 24/7 staffing that often isn’t sustainable with low birth rates. Because of this, almost 300 hospitals have been forced to suspend obstetrics services in the last 14 years. A small critical access hospital in Blue Earth, Minnesota, works to close the gap and prevent rural Minnesota from becoming a maternity care desert. In 2025, the hospital had over three times the deliveries it had 10 years ago, serving mothers who no longer have easy access to maternity care in their own communities. Our Health Equity advocates for accessible and affordable maternal health care for all Americans, no matter where they live. Read more here.