Rural Health
Research Gateway

Kevan O'Hanlon, MPH

Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program

Phone: 612.626.8401
Email: ohanl018@umn.edu

Division of Health Policy and Management
University of Minnesota
2221 University Ave. SE #350
Minneapolis, MN 55414

Current Projects - (3)

  • Financial Analysis of Rural Obstetric Care Hospitals
    The purpose of this project is to describe the financial stability and hospital longevity of rural and urban hospitals before and after obstetric unit closure. Additionally, we will identify financial factors that contribute to decisions around obstetric service provision in rural communities in order to better understand the factors that lead to—or could prevent—obstetric unit closures.
    Research centers: Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Topics: Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health
  • Monitoring Obstetric Unit Closures and Maintaining County-level Data on Hospital-based Obstetric Care
    This project will add one year of data to our publicly-available dataset on obstetric care access. We will create an updated county-level data resource with information on hospital-based obstetric care in rural and urban counties, 2010-2024, and conduct analyses with these data.
    Research center: Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program
    Topics: Health services, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health
  • Relationship Between Rural Hospital Bypass and Obstetric Unit Closures
    This project will assess how often and what type of rural pregnant patients bypass local birth hospitals for obstetric care, and identify bypass patterns that precede obstetric unit closures.
    Research center: Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program
    Topics: Healthcare financing, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health

Publications - (2)

2025

  • 2010-2023 County-Level Hospital-Based Obstetric Care Status
    Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 10/2025
    This data resource is a county-level dataset containing the county FIPS code, state, and an indicator of whether each US county had hospital-based obstetrics care in each year, 2010-2023. It is available for download as an XLS file.
  • An Enhanced Method for Identifying Hospital-Based Obstetric Unit Status, Version 2 with Addendum
    Rural Maternal Health Data Support and Analysis Program, University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
    Date: 10/2025
    The purpose of this methodology brief is to describe an enhanced method for identifying hospital-based obstetric unit status and for identifying closures of obstetric units. Version two of the methodology was used to identify obstetric care access in the 2010-2023 data resource.