BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Maternity care is becoming harder to access across the country, and new federal data shows fewer expecting mothers are receiving the care they need. In rural Nebraska, hospitals like Pender Community Hospital are working to fill the gap — but they face significant challenges.
Pender Community Hospital is the only delivery unit for miles in its region. Nearly half of the births there are covered by Medicaid, and the hospital struggles daily to maintain the level of care its community depends on.
Bethany Sedivy, a registered nurse and OB unit coordinator at the hospital, said staffing is the facility's most pressing concern.
"Babies don't just come when we want they come on their own time so we have to be ready at all times," Sedivy said.
"I think our biggest obstacle would definitely be staffing and just keeping nurses on hand," Sedivy said.
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows fewer people nationwide are receiving prenatal care. Jeremy Nordquist, president and CEO of the Nebraska Hospital Association, said the trend is one that cannot be ignored.
"There really is very little care that's as important as prenatal care having a healthy birth sets that child up for a healthy life," Nordquist said.
Nebraska is among the states with the most maternity deserts — counties where no maternity care is available. Nordquist said some residents in the northern part of the state drive 2 hours to deliver.
"Absolutely critical for those folks to plan ahead its really challenging especially if that pregnancy comes with complications," Nordquist said.
One potential solution is new funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program, money the Trump administration promised in the One Big Beautiful Bill. Nordquist said he hopes federal funding could begin making an impact on rural Nebraska hospitals within the next 6 months.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
