Women in Rural America Traverse Dangerous Distances to Deliver

20 Jul Women in Rural America Traverse Dangerous Distances to Deliver

Women in rural America are facing increasingly difficult obstacles during their pregnancies. This new profile details the extensive hurdles patients face in the wake of OB and rural hospital closures.

“At least 85 rural hospitals — about 5 percent of the country’s total — have closed since 2010, and obstetric care has faced even starker cutbacks as rural hospitals calculate the hard math of survival, weighing the cost of providing 24/7 delivery services against dwindling birthrates, doctor and nursing shortages and falling revenues.”