A low volume of births is another reason for the closures.
In announcing the closure, Bonner General noted that in 2022, it delivered just 265 babies, which the hospital characterized as a significant decrease.
Rural hospital administrators providing obstetric care say it takes at least 200 births annually for a unit to remain safe and financially viable, according to a study led by Kozhimannil for the University of Minnesota’s Rural Health Research Center.
Source: Maternity units are closing across America, forcing expectant mothers to hit the road | CNN
This is occurring in many areas and states; some say this may be due to new abortion laws that restrict OB/GYNs. But probably not – it’s nationwide and in states with no abortion restrictions and has been underway for about ten years! 217 maternity and birth centers have closed since 2011.
- Rural Hospitals are Shutting Their Maternity Units – New York Times
- Millions of Americans are losing access to maternal care – NPR
Oregon’s Legacy Mt Hood Birthing Center is slated to close; Oregon has no abortion restrictions, no date limits, no waiting periods, no patient education/counseling requirements.
Washington State, similar to Oregon, has seen several maternity/birthing center closures including in central Washington and in Renton, WA.
Also Maine and Ohio – states that permit abortions (although Ohio appears to ban or restrict after six weeks) are also closing.
This is occurring nationwide as the fertility rate collapses.
The problem is few babies as seen in this U.S. fertility rate chart. Many smaller hospitals end up having just 1 to 3 births per week, which is too few to provide required services 24×7.
This chart, below, is from the NPR story above – the red north / south block in the center of the country is part of the U.S. with the least population per square mile. The issue is that low population areas, combined with a sharp decline in fertility rate, no longer have sufficient births to keep a maternity facility running 24 x 7.
The NPR story goes on:
The data for the study — and the concerns it raises — predate the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, says Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, March of Dimes’ senior vice president and interim chief medical and health officer.
But we will blame it on abortion laws anyway:
She says there isn’t enough data yet to show the impact of Dobbs, but acknowledges there is a known relationship between abortion restrictions and access to maternity care.
The NPR article never notes the sharp decline in fertility rate, says the problem is lack of health care insurance (which today covers more people than ever before at 91%[1] – so why would there have been more maternity access in the past?), notes countries that are better on maternity care but fails to note they have high population density – basically, NPR ignores the elephant standing in the middle of the room.
[1] In 2020, 8.6% of the U.S. population did not have health insurance at some point during the year.
Update: 250 rural hospitals forecast to close over next 3 years. This seems to have nothing to do with abortion laws in some states, as is claimed in social media posts. Indeed, “many rural hospitals nationwide were contending with declining patient populations” which includes not only the low fertility rate issues but (until the pandemic remote work trend), a move away from rural communities seeking better job opportunities.
Comment: it is difficult to understand how medical facilities that charge $20 to $50 per minute for access to a care provider are not able to operate profitably.
