Rural health care providers are staring down existential threats from both cuts to Medicaid and the elimination of HRSA initiatives

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

HUGE turnout today at the #HandsOffMN rally. #handsoff

Damn, this feels accurate 😢

😩

I recently asked @katybkoz.bsky.social what it meant not to be able to access PRAMS, even temporarily:

“It’s hard to imagine getting toward a future where fewer moms die giving birth in this country, because the tools we had to imagine that are not available.”

It’s hard to see how that changes now

This is not law. It couldn’t withstand legal scrutiny.

Don’t comply in advance university presidents. General counsel, don’t panic. Do law, not vibes.

Interrupted access to unique maternal health database rattles researchers Researchers lose access to crucial CDC data on maternal and infant health while they're made compliant with Trump executive orders

The CDC pause access to data & data collection for a uniquely vital survey on maternal & infant health — they say it will be back up soon

But, that has not entirely alleviated concerns from researchers 🧪🔬🩺 #medsky

www.statnews.com/2025/03/03/c...

The Indian Health Service Is Associated With Higher-Quality Perinatal Care For American Indian And Alaska Native People | Health Affairs Journal American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) birthing people are twice as likely as White birthing people to experience maternal morbidity and mortality. AI/AN people, especially rural residents, face pe...

www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/...

Indian Health Service access and health insurance coverage associated with higher quality perinatal care among American Indian and Alaska Native people - School of Public Health - University of Minnes... American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people experience some of the starkest disparities in maternal health outcomes in the United States. Compared to

www.sph.umn.edu/news/indian-...

The IHS makes a big difference for Native folks who are pregnant-supporting greater access to and higher quality of care.

Spines for Senators Is Now Pitchforks for the People It is with a heavy heart that we admit Spines for Senators (S4S) has failed in its mission to provide invertebrate lawmakers with the transformatio...

"It is with a heavy heart that we admit Spines for Senators has failed in its mission to provide invertebrate lawmakers with the transformational surgeries they so desperately need."

People are STILL SAYING “This isn’t who we are!”, and I really, really need yall to recognize that IT IS who this country is, and who it’s been since inception. Like c’mon now, I cannot hold y’all’s hand when I say it anymoooooore

NOTHING will change until you see it and acknowledge it. Nothing.

OMFG!

Stoodis!

We're in a coup, which means we're in a nightmare, which means we're all ramped up, so let me offer you some deep time, perseverance, and beauty, before you and I go back to the work.

A painting of a bird next to the words "this is demonstrably bullshit"

True! 🤩

Between 2010 and 2022, the number of US hospitals offering obstetric care decreased significantly, particularly in rural areas. This decline has been linked to worsening maternal and infant health outcomes.

Watch the video short to learn more: ja.ma/3BbTx0H

My team’s latest research. It’s important stuff. We’ve been talking about maternity care access for years, but things aren’t getting better. They are getting worse. More and more hospitals are closing obstetrics units, especially in rural areas.

Most Rural Hospitals Have Closed Their Maternity Wards, Study Finds (Gift Article) Labor and delivery units are losing money and struggling to find staff, in rural areas and large cities alike.

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/h...

Obstetric Care Access at Rural and Urban Hospitals in the United States This study quantifies losses and gains of obstetric care services at US rural and urban short-term acute care hospitals between 2010 and 2022.

We are more than a decade into a severe maternal health crisis, and the public and policymakers are well aware. Yet, access to hospital-based obstetrics care continues to decline. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Ben Wikler is a real one.

Hug

How We Report on Maternal Health — and How to Get in Touch With Our Team For years, ProPublica has examined the deaths of pregnant women and new mothers to uncover problems that can prevent other deaths. Our reporting has sparked change. Now, we are investigating the…

It’s clear by now that state abortion bans are having a seismic impact on health care. But they are also introducing a dangerous new dynamic for anyone who happens to conceive.

Help us report on maternal health.

Thankful for land and water and sun and beauty and friendship

🗣️🗣️

I’m here now.