If a woman gives birth in an Arkansas hospital, there’s a good chance it isn’t in her home county.
Only 22 of Arkansas’ 75 counties now have hospitals that deliver babies, according to the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI). Thirty hospitals overall still do, including counties with more than one. Ten hospitals have closed their obstetrics units since 2019. The latest is National Park Medical Center in Hot Springs following the unexpected death of its only obstetrician-gynecologist. Another local hospital, CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, will continue delivering babies.
Five of the 10 closed their units because of staffing shortages, while five did so for financial reasons, ACHI says. Labor and delivery units are expensive to operate and must be open 24-7, even in rural areas with low patient volumes…