Publication Date: December 10th, 2025
Publication Type: Policy Brief
Topic(s): Healthcare Access, Hospitals and Clinics, Maternal Health, Rural Statistics and Demographics, Women
Author(s): Kozhimannil KB, Sheffield EC, Interrante JD, Busse CE, McDaniel CE, and Handley SC
Infant mortality is elevated in rural, compared with urban, communities. Neonatal health care includes basic well-infant/level 1 services, available at health care facilities that offer childbirth services, as well as higher-level care (neonatal intermediate and intensive care services, at level II or higher). Access to higher-level neonatal care can be lifesaving for infants with high acuity clinical needs, and access to childbirth-related care has been declining in rural communities. The purpose of this policy brief is to show the changes in the availability of higher-level neonatal care in rural US counties from 2010 to 2022, and how this availability differs by rural county type (micropolitan vs. noncore).