As Missouri Loses Maternity Wards, Rural Families Face Longer Drives and Riskier Births

KCUR, NPR

Sep 17, 2026

Discusses recent research highlighting labor and delivery service access issues and describes challenges for rural Missouri. Discusses long travel times to care, why offering labor and delivery care is challenging for rural facilities, and how Rural Health Transformation Program funding is supporting doula and other services aiming to fill gaps.

Access · Closures of healthcare facilities and services · Healthcare business and finance · Maternal health and prenatal care · Maternal health workforce · Rural Health Transformation Program · Missouri