The Maternity Care Team at the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center leads work documenting obstetric care access and conducting research on access to care around the time of childbirth for pregnant patients and infants, as well as maternal and infant health outcomes.
Data: County-Level Data on Obstetric Care
Our team has created a county-level dataset containing the county FIPS code, state, and an indicator of whether each US county had hospital-based obstetrics care in each year. It is available for download as an XLS file.
Methodology: Identifying Obstetric Care
This methodology brief describes an enhanced method we developed for identifying hospital-based obstetric unit status and for identifying closures of obstetric units at US hospitals.
State Reports: Obstetric Care Access
Send Us Information About Obstetric Unit Closures
Do you know of a hospital that closed their obstetric/labor and delivery unit, or have you seen an announcement of a planned closure? Please email the Rural Maternity Care Team at RMC@umn.edu, and include a web link to a hospital website, press release, or media report, if possible.
Our team keeps track of announcements and information we receive about hospital obstetric unit closures, and we use that information to validate our annual data updates. Below is a listing of closures that have been publicly reported since 2023, of which we are aware. This is not a complete list, and if you see errors or omissions about which you have information, please let us know (RMC@umn.edu).
Share Your Birth Story
Have you—or someone you know—experienced pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum care in a rural setting? We created this form to offer space for rural birth stories—after hearing from individuals who wanted to share their experiences with our research team. Whether your story highlights challenges, meaningful moments of care and connection, or anything in between, your perspective can help advance understanding of maternal health in rural communities.
You are welcome to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with, and you may submit the form more than once if you have multiple experiences to share. Thank you for considering this opportunity—and for trusting us with your story.
Maternity Care Team Members
Funding for the Maternity Care Team’s work comes from the Rural Health Research Center Cooperative Agreement and the Rural Maternal Health Data and Support Program, funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, as well as the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center Fund and the Heinz Family Foundation.