1. United States
2. N.D.
3. Letter

Rural maternity care is disappearing, and I need you to act — fund it. Over the past decade, hundreds of rural hospitals have closed their labor and delivery units, leaving pregnant people in my community driving hours to give birth. That is not a minor inconvenience; it is a life-threatening gap that kills mothers and newborns. The fix requires real investment: funding for rural hospitals to staff and maintain obstetric units, support for rural midwifery programs, and reimbursement rates that make it financially viable for providers to stay. This is not a niche issue. Rural maternal mortality rates are significantly higher than in urban areas, and the trend is getting worse. Allocate the funding, push for higher Medicaid reimbursement for rural OB care, and make this a priority before more units close.