Rural Mainers deserve equal access to quality maternity care | Letter

Maine’s Rural Maternity Care at Risk as Eleven Hospital Units Close

Portland, Maine – An 11‑year trend of labor‑and‑delivery unit closures across the state has left many residents, especially in rural areas, with travel times that can stretch to two hours for prenatal or delivery care. A recent letter to the editor in the Portland press, penned by Master of Public Health student Ella Hair, argues that the state must act now to prevent further loss of local maternity services.

Since 2014, eleven hospitals in Maine have shuttered their labor‑and‑delivery departments. The closures have forced pregnant patients to drive longer distances for childbirth, a change that researchers link to increased risk of complications, including higher rates of preterm birth. Rural communities—already facing shortages of pediatricians and primary‑care physicians—are particularly vulnerable when maternity care becomes less accessible.

“Longer travel distances to maternity hospitals are linked to worse outcomes for mothers and babies,” Hair wrote. “Maine will continue to lose local labor and delivery services and we cannot wait until another hospital closes to start caring. Every pregnant person deserves access to timely and safe care, no matter where they live.”

Hair calls on state legislators to adopt a trio of policy measures aimed at keeping existing units operational and attracting new providers. First, she urges an increase in MaineCare payments to rural hospitals, arguing that higher reimbursement would help cover the costs of running a labor‑and‑delivery unit. Second, she proposes expanding telehealth coverage for prenatal and postpartum care, a strategy that could reduce the need for in‑person visits and alleviate staffing pressures. Finally, Hair suggests funding an advanced medical training fellowship specifically for obstetric care, with the goal of training doctors who will then remain in rural hospitals.

“These are just a couple of steps that can help keep services open while trying to build a stronger workforce for the future,” she wrote.

The letter arrives amid ongoing debates about healthcare access in Maine’s countryside. Advocates say that without targeted support, more families will face the same hardship of traveling for childbirth—a risk that could exacerbate health disparities in the state’s underserved regions.