Locum Tenens Emerges as a Fix for Maternity Care Deserts

When a hospital closes its labor and delivery unit, the nearest place to give birth moves farther away, and reopening is hard because it means rebuilding the entire obstetric team the hospital could not sustain in the first place. According to Becker's Hospital Review, March of Dimes counted at least 96 labor and delivery units closing, and those closures are coming faster than most people realize.

The result is expanding maternity care deserts, where pregnant patients face longer drives and fewer local options. Staffing shortages sit at the center of the problem. Many rural and community hospitals cannot recruit or retain enough obstetricians, nurses, and anesthesiologists to run a round-the-clock unit.

Becker's points to locum tenens, temporary physician and clinician staffing, as a more flexible path forward. Rather than committing to a full permanent roster, hospitals can use locum providers to cover gaps, stabilize schedules, and keep units open. For some facilities, that flexibility may be the difference between delivering babies locally and sending patients elsewhere.