The Unity Medical Center here is the latest in a long line of rural hospitals that no longer deliver babies.
Hospital officials say a declining population in rural areas means fewer births, making it tougher to pay for medical staff and insurance.
Fewer births have caused a spiraling effect, both for staffing and the bottom line, said Everett Butler, Unity's chief executive officer.
The hospital was left with only one surgeon to handle Caesarean operations after a retirement last year, Butler said. That meant difficulty in fulfilling the requirement that a surgeon be available on short notice, he said.
Unity warned expectant mothers last spring that it couldn't guarantee a delivery room. That contributed to Unity dropping from 53 births in 2004 to 20 in 2005.
