The Rural Maternal Health Crisis: A Perfect Storm of Inaction and Misguided Policy The nation's attention has been fixated on urban areas for decades, leaving rural America to grapple with a seemingly intractable crisis: maternal health care that is woefully inadequate.
Between 2016 and 2019, maternal mortality rates were 81% higher in rural areas compared to their urban counterparts. Each statistic represents a family torn apart by loss and a community forever changed.
The closures of labor and delivery units are a symptom of this broader malaise.