Abstract Purpose Closure of rural Labor & Delivery (L&D) units can impact timely access to
hospital‐based obstetrical care. Iowa has lost over a quarter of its L&D units in the previous …

Purpose Closures of rural labor and delivery (L/D) units have prompted national and state‐
based efforts to assess the impact on birth outcomes. This study explores local effects of L/D …

Objectives To understand hospital‐and county‐level factors for rural obstetric unit closures,
using mixed methods. Data Sources Hospital discharge data from Healthcare Cost and …

Background Obstetric provider coverage in rural Georgia has worsened, with nine rural
labor and delivery units (LDUs) closing outside the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area from …

POLICY BRIEF Closure of Hospital Obstetric Services Disproportionately Affects Less-Populated
Rural Counties Page 1 POLICY BRIEF April 2017 Purpose The purpose of this study was to …

Purpose Continued closure of rural hospitals and labor & delivery units can impact timely
access to care. Iowa has lost over a quarter of its labor & delivery units in the previous …

Objective To evaluate the effect of rural hospital closures on infant and maternal health
outcomes. Data Sources and Study Setting We used restricted National Vital Statistics …

POLICY BRIEF State Variability in Access to Hospital-Based Obstetric Services in Rural US
Counties Page 1 POLICY BRIEF April 2017 Purpose The purpose of this policy brief is to …

Abstract Background The United States physician shortages affect rural health care access,
including maternity care. Project aims were to identify and characterize prenatal and delivery …

Importance Rural obstetric unit closures are associated with adverse maternal and infant
health outcomes and are most common among low–birth volume facilities located in remote …