Georgia equips ED physicians with obstetrics training as rural hospitals close

Georgia is using more than $12 million of its $219 million first-year Rural Health Transformation Program funds to place obstetric carts in 43 rural hospitals without labor and delivery units. The carts will contain supplies needed for a birth or obstetric emergency. Only 36% of rural hospitals in Georgia have a labor and delivery unit, and the hospital ranks among the worst in the nation for maternal health outcomes. Stakeholders worry about ED physicians lacking extensive obstetric experience and say Georgia should invest more to prevent the closure of labor and delivery units in rural communities. The American Hospital Association debuted a podcast featuring rural hospital leaders who have committed to maintaining maternal care. The organization also supports policies to address the rural health crisis. (KFF News article, 10/21/26)