Alisha Alderson placed everything she needed for the last month of her pregnancy in various suitcases as she prepared to leave the comfort of her home in rural eastern Oregon. The only maternity ward within 40 miles abruptly closed in August, so she would be staying at her brother’s house in Idaho to be closer to a hospital.
Officials at Saint Alphonsus, the hospital in Baker City where Alderson wanted to give birth, cited a shortage of OB nurses and declining deliveries. While they said financial concerns didn’t factor into the decision, they also underlined the unit had operated in the red over the last 10 years.
Dr. Pamela Evans, who helped with deliveries for years and will stay on as a gynecologist, said she fears things like preterm deliveries, infant mortality and low-birthweight babies are bound to get worse. Prenatal care suffers when people must travel long distances or take lots of time off work for appointments, she said. Not all insurance covers out-of-state deliveries, and it’s an hour or more to some alternative in-state hospitals that families are looking at.
Some states and communities are taking steps to create more free-standing birth centers. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont recently signed legislation that will license such centers to operate as an alternative for women with low-risk pregnancies.
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