At least 46 hospitals in California have either closed or indefinitely stopped maternity services since 2012, with 27 closures occurring in the past three years, according to a Nov. 15 investigation from CalMatters.
Such closures also come at a time of a growing maternal mortality crisis, with 60% of the state's maternal deaths deemed preventable, according to the report.
High costs, labor shortages and declining birth rates are among the reasons for the growing crisis, the report said. Labor and delivery units are often second only to emergency departments in terms of expense.
Such closures disproportionately affect low-income and Latino populations, with the average household income $12,000 lower than where delivery units remain open, the investigation found.
The California situation mirrors much of the situation across the country, particularly in rural areas.
Over the past decade, more than 200 rural hospitals across the country have ceased delivery services, despite delivering nearly 1 in 10 babies in the U.S., according to the American Hospital Association.
"Understanding that communities need a place where their residents can go and safely deliver a baby is not something that is a luxury," said California Rep. Akilah Weber, MD, herself an obstetrician. "It is a necessity."