As hospital consolidation continues nationwide, rural areas are beginning to take a new shape – and it is not a pretty picture. According to a recent study from Health Affairs, newly acquired rural hospitals are eliminating surgical care services and mental health treatment access, despite a sharp rise in depression, suicide and addiction in the hard-hit rural communities. Even more stunning, these newly acquired hospitals are more likely to eliminate maternity and neonatal care than those that remain independent. Coupled with a worsening nursing shortage, this is a huge problem for rural American families. Even before the pandemic, maternal and infant outcomes in the U.S. were shockingly poor.