Banister, 25, dreaded the prospect of giving birth without the Baker City obstetrics program. “I stayed in a lot of shock.”The only maternity ward in Baker City, Ore. shuttered in 2023. Deep cuts to Medicaid funding are expected to impact maternity care at other Oregon hospitals, especially rural hospitals that have fewer options to offset expensive obstetrics departments. A view of Baker City, Ore. taken from the outskirts of town, near Teela Banister’s home. The only maternity ward in Baker City shuttered in 2023.