Rural hospitals close their maternities
TOPPENISH, Washington — Three days before Christmas, the only hospital in this remote town on the Yakama Indian Reservation abruptly closed its maternity ward without consulting the community, the doctors who gave birth there or even his own advice.
At least 35 women were planning to give birth at Astria Toppenish Hospital in January alone, and the sudden closure - which violated the the hospital's commitment to the state to maintain essential services in this rural area - have upended their plans.
Victoria Barajas, 34, who is expecting her first child , hastened to find a new doctor before the expected date of delivery, 7 January. Jazzmin Maldonado, a 29-year-old teacher who is due to give birth soon, wondered how she could make it to a distant hospital in time.
After a previous miscarriage, doctors had placed a stitch in her cervix to prevent a second one, and the stitch would have to come out quickly once labor started.
Astria Toppenish Hospital is one of a series of providers across the country that have stopped providing labor and delivery care in an effort to control costs - even as maternal deaths rise at alarming rates in the United States and more more and more women are developing life-threatening complications.
Toppenish closure reflects national trends as financially-struggling hospitals come to harsh conclusion : childbirth does not pay, at least not in low-income communities.
From 2015 to 2019, there were at least 89 obstetrical unit closures in rural hospitals across the country. In 2020, about half of rural community hospitals did not provide obstetric care, according to the American Hospital Association.
Over the past year, closures appear to be s be expedited as hospitals from Maine to California have abandoned maternity wards, mostly in rural areas where the population has shrunk and the number of births has declined.
A study of hospital administrators conducted before the pandemic found that 20% said they did not expect to provide labor and delivery services in five years.
Women in rural areas face a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications, according to a Commonwealth Fund study. According to a study of mothers in Louisiana, those who live in so-called maternity care deserts are three times more likely to die during pregnancy and the critical year following than those who are closer to care, according to a study of mothers in Louisiana.
Ambulances are unreliable in many rural areas like the Yakama Reservation, which spans more than a million acres. There aren't many emergency vehicles and the long distances mean long waits. In autumn and winter, dense fog often covers the roads, making driving dangerous.
TOPPENISH, Washington — Three days before Christmas, the only hospital in this remote town on the Yakama Indian Reservation abruptly closed its maternity ward without consulting the community, the doctors who gave birth there or even his own advice.
At least 35 women were planning to give birth at Astria Toppenish Hospital in January alone, and the sudden closure - which violated the the hospital's commitment to the state to maintain essential services in this rural area - have upended their plans.
Victoria Barajas, 34, who is expecting her first child , hastened to find a new doctor before the expected date of delivery, 7 January. Jazzmin Maldonado, a 29-year-old teacher who is due to give birth soon, wondered how she could make it to a distant hospital in time.
After a previous miscarriage, doctors had placed a stitch in her cervix to prevent a second one, and the stitch would have to come out quickly once labor started.
Astria Toppenish Hospital is one of a series of providers across the country that have stopped providing labor and delivery care in an effort to control costs - even as maternal deaths rise at alarming rates in the United States and more more and more women are developing life-threatening complications.
Toppenish closure reflects national trends as financially-struggling hospitals come to harsh conclusion : childbirth does not pay, at least not in low-income communities.
From 2015 to 2019, there were at least 89 obstetrical unit closures in rural hospitals across the country. In 2020, about half of rural community hospitals did not provide obstetric care, according to the American Hospital Association.
Over the past year, closures appear to be s be expedited as hospitals from Maine to California have abandoned maternity wards, mostly in rural areas where the population has shrunk and the number of births has declined.
A study of hospital administrators conducted before the pandemic found that 20% said they did not expect to provide labor and delivery services in five years.
Women in rural areas face a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications, according to a Commonwealth Fund study. According to a study of mothers in Louisiana, those who live in so-called maternity care deserts are three times more likely to die during pregnancy and the critical year following than those who are closer to care, according to a study of mothers in Louisiana.
Ambulances are unreliable in many rural areas like the Yakama Reservation, which spans more than a million acres. There aren't many emergency vehicles and the long distances mean long waits. In autumn and winter, dense fog often covers the roads, making driving dangerous.
What's Your Reaction?
