Infographic highlights loss of hospital-based obstetric services in rural counties nationwide
An infographic released by the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center highlights the decline of maternity care access in rural counties across the U.S. from 2010-2022, finding that nearly 59% of rural counties did not have any hospital-based obstetric services as of 2022. Researchers categorized rural counties based on population as micropolitan (having a town of 10,000-50,000 residents) and non-core (without a town of at least 10,000 residents). They found that micropolitan counties with hospital-based obstetric care declined from about 81% in 2010 to nearly 74% in 2022. Noncore counties declined from 34% in 2010 to nearly 26% in 2022.
Related News Articles
Headline
Kittitas Valley Healthcare, based in Ellensburg, Wash., was delivering 300-350 babies each year in the region prior to 2022, offering the area’s only…
Headline
Improving access to rural health care is a top priority for AHA, and its 2024 Rural Advocacy Agenda lays the groundwork to improve the system as a whole. In…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services July 10 issued a proposed rule that would increase Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system…
Headline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Innovation Center has announced it will host a Rural Health Hackathon in August. The hackathon includes a…
Headline
The Health Resources and Services Administration June 13 awarded more than $11 million to 15 organizations to strengthen the health care workforce in rural…
Headline
The Health Resources and Services Administration June 11 announced that Montana is eligible for $5.4 million in federal funding this year for the Maternal,…