Rural Hospitals Closing At Dangerous Rate For Pregnant Women Stuck Hundreds Of Miles From Care
Researchers estimate that fewer than half of the country’s rural counties still have a hospital that offers obstetric care. “We can’t keep a hospital. What is our community coming to?” Kela Abernathy said. In other women's health news, a judge rules in favor of the Trump administration over its proposed funding rules for the family-planning program, and many women treated for early-stage breast cancer aren't getting the recommended follow-up care.
The New York Times:
It’s 4 A.M. The Baby’s Coming. But The Hospital Is 100 Miles Away.
A few hours after the only hospital in town shut its doors forever, Kela Abernathy bolted awake at 4:30 a.m., screaming in pain. Oh God, she remembered thinking, it’s the twins. They were not due for another two months. But the contractions seizing Ms. Abernathy’s lower back early that June morning told her that her son and daughter were coming. Now. (Healy, 7/17)
Reuters:
Judge Rules For Trump Administration In Suit Over Family-Planning Program Shift
A federal judge ruled on Monday against birth control organizations that sought to block the Trump administration from shifting a federal family-planning grant program toward prioritizing groups that are faith-based and counsel abstinence. Three planned Parenthood organizations along with the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association filed lawsuits, which were later combined, in May challenging guidelines the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued in February. (O'Brien, 7/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Many Breast Cancer Patients Don’t Get Recommended Follow-Up, Study Finds
Women who have been treated for early-stage breast cancer should get periodic mammograms to monitor for recurrence, but the likelihood they will varies across U.S. metropolitan areas, a new study finds. The research, published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, found that about 30% of women studied didn’t get recommended breast screening after surgery for early-stage breast cancer. (Evans, 7/16)
