3 Alabama hospitals to close their maternity care units

Receiving national attention, three Alabama hospitals will be closing their maternity wards by the end of October. Keep reading for what we know on this news so far.

Monroe + Shelby Counties lose primary maternity care

As reported by USA Today and many other local and national news outlets, these Alabama hospitals are closing their maternity care units due to staffing shortages and financial challenges.

• Monroe County Hospital in Monroeville
• Shelby Baptist Medical Center in Alabaster
• Princeton Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham

USA Today stated that in some instances, due to the closing of these units, women could not just drive over to the next county, but possibly as far as 100 miles to find the closest facility for maternity care.

Alabama is not the only state with maternal health care needs. Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky and more are seeing similar challenges.

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