The hospitals have an average of 2-4 babies per week in a state having the 3rd lowest fertility rate in the nation: Nurses rally to protest possible Oregon birth center closures – oregonlive.com
Keeping these facilities in operation 24×7 costs a lot of money to have trained staff available for a few babies per week. This is why – per some recent social media posts – having a baby costs $40,000 to $50,000.
Closures of birthing center and elementary schools – and now up to high schools and colleges – are direct consequences of the nation’s low fertility rate. This is the new world we live in – with smaller and smaller cohorts coming up in the population.
The “news”report fails to mention the low fertility rate, the decline in number of babies being born, and the cost issue. No reporter name is identified with the Oregonian’s reprint – but tracking the story down, it was written by Hans Boyle, the Education Reporter for the Corvallis Gazette.
Oregon’s population pyramid is upside down:
