Many have blamed closures on the POTUS ruling on abortions but the closures have been underway for a long time as the number of babies born in the U.S. has fallen sharply.
In contrast, very few new maternity wards have opened in the past decade. CalMatters identified eight new maternity wards since 2012, driven almost exclusively by the construction of new hospitals. In total, the number of hospitals delivering babies in California has dropped from at least 250 in 2012 to 214 today.
CA hospitals close labor wards, limiting maternity care – CalMatters
HINT:
In the past 30 years, the number of births in California has dropped by half, and the birth rate is at its lowest level on record. The trend is not unique to California; labor and delivery units are shuttering across the country. But experts say the rapidly increasing number of closures the state has seen, especially in just the past three years, is concerning.
Staffing labor and delivery services, on call 24×7, with, in some places, 1 or 2 babies born per week is expensive. Staff cannot maintain best proficiency when they have few deliveries.
Advocates argue hospitals should spend money on unprofitable labor and delivery anyway – because as you know, health care is not expensive enough, and more money thrown at it is the solution.
Labor and delivery services closing, elementary schools closing – and starting to see middle schools being closed to – as the youth cohort continues to shrink.
