Senator Rich Draheim (R–Madison Lake) today introduced legislation to expand rural healthcare for pregnant mothers and babies. Senate File 3651 would provide a competitive grant program to rural hospitals and higher education institutions to train staff and maintain maternity units in rural hospitals.

“I keep hearing stories of pregnant mothers waiting for a hospital bed. Rural hospitals just don’t have enough staff,” said Sen. Draheim. “We need to cross-train staff so they can help out with deliveries and give hospitals the opportunity to make the most of what they have. Hopefully, this will help save a mother’s life and save a baby’s life. If we want to keep our economic engine going, we need good hospitals.

Richard Ash, CEO of United Hospital District in Blue Earth, testified in support of the bill.

“Over the past several years we’ve seen a steady loss of services across rural hospitals. Infant mortality continues to increase because of those risks, as well as the risks for moms. It’s tough to see that when it’s in your own backyard,” said Ash. “Babies don’t schedule their arrival between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Rural hospitals need to be ready every minute of the day. Access to maternity care isn’t just a healthcare issue, but an economic issue."

The Minnesota Rural Health Association supports the bill and submitted a letter of support to the committee.

“For Minnesota families, the stakes could not be higher,” said Mark Jones, Executive Director of MRHA. “When a rural maternity unit closes the risk of emergencies increases and access deteriorates. SF 3651 addresses these realities by supporting exactly the kinds of training and cross-training initiatives rural facilities need.”

An MPR report from 2025 said that labor and delivery units across the state and nation have been closing in recent years, and Minnesota is losing the most obstetrics units in the U.S. on a percentage basis. United Hospital District is the last hospital along the I-90 corridor between Austin and Worthington providing obstetric services, a roughly 120-mile stretch.

The bill was heard in the Senate Jobs and Economic Development Committee and was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.