Hospitals and health systems have continued to close maternity units, citing ongoing financial challenges, workforce shortages and declining birth rates. However, in rural Kansas, AdventHealth Ottawa — part of Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth — recently restored labor and delivery services to Franklin County.
The AdventHealth Ottawa Family Birth Place temporarily closed in 2023 and reopened in September 2025 with a fully staffed labor and delivery team. As of August 2025, the hospital had hired 11 full-time staff for the unit, with additional providers joining in 2026.
Maternity care challenges remain significant. A report reflecting data stretching into 2026 from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform found that fewer than half of U.S. rural hospitals still offer labor and delivery services. In a dozen states, fewer than one-third do.
That trend aligns with Becker’s reporting. Becker’s reported 29 maternity service closures in 2025 and has reported on seven closures in 2026.
“What’s unique about Ottawa is that we’re an OB desert that does not sit in a population desert, so there’s a lot of population around us that doesn’t have OB services,” AdventHealth Ottawa President and CEO Brendan Johnson said in a hospital video. “But within a large circumference, there’s about 400 to 500 births a year that didn’t have a place to go.”
The reopening of the Family Birth Place has begun to address that gap. A boy named Mateo was born at AdventHealth Ottawa on Jan. 1, marking the first time since 2023 that AdventHealth Ottawa has welcomed the first baby of the new year at the Family Birth Place.
Mr. Johnson also said 60% of AdventHealth Ottawa team members who work at the hospital live in the community, “so it’s neighbors caring for neighbors. It really gives us a chance to lean into caring for people that we live right next door to.”
AdventHealth system President and CEO David Banks told Becker’s the Family Birth Place originally closed amid staffing challenges. He said hospital leaders rebuilt the service using its rural health clinic structure, employing providers and positioning them to practice across both clinic and hospital settings. The team includes an OBGYN as well as family medicine/OB providers to support the program.
“The return of these services reflected a deliberate effort to expand access to care in rural communities — so families could welcome their babies close to home, supported by a local care team they know and trust,” Mr. Banks said in a LinkedIn post earlier in 2026.
“At a time when maternity deserts continue to grow across rural America, this work carries real meaning. Expanding access isn’t theoretical. It means being present for families at life’s most meaningful moments — and helping more communities feel whole.”
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