Maternity Shortages Force Ambulances To Deliver Babies in Phillips County

Emergency medical crews in the Arkansas Delta faced a stark new reality last year as declining hospital maternity services pushed more deliveries into ambulances and other prehospital settings. A statewide report published on Dec. 29, 2025 highlighted how closures and reduced obstetric capacity have forced regional ambulance providers to transport laboring patients much farther, and in some cases to manage full deliveries while en route.

Paramedics and regional ambulance services in the Delta described a pattern of longer transports and higher-stakes field care. When hospitals that accept deliveries are no longer available within a short drive, crews must choose between extended ambulance trips to distant facilities or delivering babies with only onboard supplies and limited immediate backup. Those choices increase time away from the community for each ambulance, reduce availability for other 911 calls, and elevate clinical risk for both mother and infant.

Pafford Medical Services, which operates in Phillips County, is among the providers managing these extended transports and occasional in-ambulance deliveries. The added operational burden has tangible consequences for response times. Longer transports tie up crews and vehicles for hours, potentially delaying care for other emergencies such as cardiac events, traumas, and strokes. For pregnant patients, delayed access to comprehensive obstetric services can worsen outcomes, particularly for high-risk pregnancies or complications during labor.

The trend reflects broader rural hospital and maternal-care declines across Arkansas that have been unfolding for years. As smaller hospitals reduce obstetric services or close their labor and delivery units, the nearest accepting hospitals are increasingly regional centers several counties away. Rural and economically vulnerable communities experience these changes unevenly, widening existing health disparities. Residents without reliable transportation or with limited prenatal resources face higher odds of unplanned or out-of-hospital births and related complications.

Policy responses will determine whether the current strain on EMS and pregnant families eases. Strengthening rural maternal-care capacity, improving reimbursement and support for ambulance services, expanding telemedicine obstetric consults, and targeted investments in Delta health infrastructure are among measures experts say could reduce the need for emergency field deliveries and improve outcomes.

In the meantime, pregnant residents should work with their prenatal providers to develop clear birth plans that account for longer travel times and to understand when to seek emergency services. For Phillips County, the issue is not only medical; it is a public health and equity problem that affects emergency response, community safety, and the well-being of mothers and infants across the region.