PROBLEM: We usually reserve this column for more lighthearted things, but we wanted to draw attention again to the problem of the growing maternity care desert in rural Pennsylvania.

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania updated their report on the topic. The maternity desert now encompasses Cameron, Clarion, Clinton, Elk, Forest, McKean, Potter and Warren counties — “some 6,000 square miles, an area that is greater than the size of Connecticut.”

The report continued, “In the last eight months, one rural hospital has discontinued labor and delivery services, and one urban hospital providing these services has closed entirely. These closures reflect broader shifts in healthcare availability across the Commonwealth and have contributed to the expansion of geographic gaps in access, particularly in rural areas.

Twenty-three of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties do not have a hospital that provides labor and delivery services, according to the report. All 23 counties are classified as rural.

“Over the past decade, changes in healthcare availability, including hospital closures and service reductions, have contributed to a decline in maternity care services, particularly labor and delivery units, across rural counties. Furthermore, the closest hospital with a labor and delivery unit for 5 counties (Bedford, McKean, Pike, Potter and Warren) is in New York state, highlighting the lack of in-state options.”

About 3.5 million — 27% — of Pennsylvania residents live outside of a 20-minute drive to a hospital offering labor and delivery services.

On a straight line, “as the crow flies” measurement — not accounting for roads, hills, snow, animal traffic or anything else — Emporium folks have 52 miles to the nearest labor and delivery hospital.

Seems like we should be moving forward, not backward.