Kentucky hospital closures force docs to use an RV for women giving birth: report

Kentucky isn't a safe state for women giving birth, and it has nothing to do with restrictions on reproductive freedom.

A 2024 March of Dimes report revealed the state has a very high maternal mortality and preterm birth rate, and it isn't the first year.

"The state has a maternal mortality rate of 38.4 deaths per 100,000 live births, much higher than the national rate of 23.5 deaths per 100,000 live births," noted the report, as cited by "News From the States."

The numbers are worse for mothers of color.

A 2023 report from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services revealed that 88 percent of maternal deaths in Kentucky were entirely preventable.

The reason has more to do with access to medical centers that can address any pregnancy complications that could arise.

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The Sheps Center for Health Services Research cited 181 rural hospitals forced to close across the United States from 2005 to 2021. By 2023, WKMS News reported that more than one-third of Kentucky hospitals were at risk of closing before Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) signed funding to keep as many open as possible.

Despite the legislation, WKMS reported in August that a national policy center estimate put 13 of Kentucky's 71 rural inpatient hospitals at risk of closing, while six are at immediate risk.

Laken Meade, the director of nursing at Big Sandy Health Care, proposed a mobile OB-GYN unit akin to those run by the March of Dimes. They applied for a $2 million, 2-year maternal health grant and received it from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

The grant could be eliminated by those seeking to cut federal spending under the new administration, which pledges to slash a little over $2 trillion from the federal budget. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities reported that Trump's budget proposals in 2017 and again in 2018 made deep cuts to health and wellness spending.

Cari Perry, the assistant director of nursing at Big Sandy Health Care said that there is such a shortage of OB-GYN staff in the area, that some Eastern Kentucky patients must travel an hour or more to reach an obstetrician. It's outright impossible for those who might lack the necessary transportation or live around "poorly-maintained roads, making travel tedious," the report said.

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She said that their RV sometimes parks at a local health department, and they go directly to a patient's home if necessary.

They're able to provide "4D ultrasounds, fetal testing, laboratory services, postnatal care, cervical and breast cancer screenings, contraceptive services, sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing, family planning, menopause support and more," the report said.

Early testing can find problems in a pregnancy before they become a crisis.

“We know that women who have access to early and consistent prenatal care, the mothers do better, and the babies do better,” explained Dr. Lesley Dotson, who serves as the chief medical officer at Big Sandy. “You’re able to detect potential problems with the pregnancy, or even anomalies in the fetus. You’re able to detect that early so that the mom receives proper care, and then also appropriate planning for the delivery. That’s very important.”