The number of Arkansas hospitals that will be providing labor and delivery services has fallen to 30 after the announcement July 24 that National Park Medical Center in Hot Springs is closing its unit at the end of this month, according to the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.
The change followed the unexpected death of Dr. Pitt Moore, the hospital’s only obstetrician-gynecologist.
Women in only 22 of the state’s 75 counties can receive services at hospitals located in their home counties. Ten Arkansas hospitals have closed their obstetrics units since 2019, ACHI reports on its website. Sixty percent of the state’s rural hospitals do not offer labor and delivery services…