Study examines declines in availability of hospital-based obstetric services by county
A study published Jan. 7 by the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examined the availability of hospital-based obstetric services in the U.S. by county from 2010-2023. It found 293 counties (8.6%) nationwide lost all hospital-based obstetric services during that period. Among those, 26 counties experienced a recent loss between 2022 and 2023, 21 of which are rural counties. Among the 148 rural counties with a town population of 10,000 or fewer people, 11% lost all hospital-based obstetric services from 2010-2023. Overall, 60% of rural counties and 38% of urban counties did not have any hospital-based obstetric services by 2023.
Related News Articles
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Dec. 30 that it will no longer require states to report measures reflecting the immunization status…
Headline
Eilidh Pederson, CEO at Western Wisconsin Health, shares lessons from her unique birthing experience — in which she delivered her own baby — and outlines how…
Headline
Lindsey Fauveau, M.D., medical director of breast surgical oncology at Woman’s Hospital, shares how the hospital’s state-of-the-art mobile unit brings 3D…
Headline
The National Institutes of Health Sept. 16 announced it has launched a consortium to help reduce preventable stillbirths across the U.S. The NIH said…
Headline
A blog by Julia Resnick, AHA senior director of health outcomes and care transformation, describes a new project with the Commonwealth Fund that will explore…
Blog
Every pregnant woman deserves access to high-quality maternal care — from conception through postpartum. Yet in parts of the country, some of that care is…