” More than half — 54 percent — of rural counties had no hospitals with obstetric services in 2014, a jump from 45 percent in 2004. The decline in maternity services was greatest in counties with large African-American populations and in states with strict rules for Medicaid eligibility, said Katy B. Kozhimannil, one of the study’s authors and an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.”
“…research … shows that the further a woman has to drive to give birth, the higher the rate of neonatal complications and infant mortality.”
SOURCE:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pregnant-women-in-rural-counties-no-obstetric-care/