CA Birth Center Closures Deepen an Existing Maternity Care Crisis

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Californians have continued to lose access to labor and delivery services. This year, four hospitals have shut down their maternity care, with another four slated to close by November.

That’s nearly on par with the 10 maternity ward closures in 2023.

In total, according to CalMatters’ analysis of state records, 56 hospitals have stopped delivering babies since 2012 — that’s 16% of all general acute care hospitals in the state.

Nationwide at least 267 hospitals closed labor and delivery between 2011 and 2021, representing about 5% of the country’s hospitals.

Black, Latino and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by these closures even as they grapple with some of the state’s worst birth outcomes.

The trend has drawn attention from lawmakers and health advocates who have asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign legislation intended to help the state intervene when a hospital is struggling to keep labor and delivery open. They also want to force hospitals to be more transparent about their finances, staffing levels and how closures would impact communities.

Hospital administrators blame service cuts on high costs, labor shortages and declining birth rates. But in some instances, CalMatters found highly profitable hospitals closing maternity wards that delivered more than 700 babies annually, a number that research suggests is well above the threshold for safety and financial viability.

Black, Latino and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by these closures even as they grapple with some of the state’s worst birth outcomes. Black women account for only 5% of pregnancies in the state but make up 21% of pregnancy-related deaths, according to state data. Low-income women also have some of the highest rates of complications and death.

More pregnant women are going without prenatal care, CDC finds