Maternity wards are closing in Oregon and at rural hospitals across the country

Fewer than half of rural hospitals have labor and delivery units, and the number keeps dropping

Alisha Alderson placed everything she needed for the last month of her pregnancy in various suitcases as she prepared to leave the comfort of her home in rural eastern Oregon. The only maternity ward within 40 miles abruptly closed in August, so she would be staying at her brother’s house in Idaho to be closer to a hospital.