In Bar Harbor Thursday, nurses and community members protested the planned closure of Mount Desert Island's obstetrics unit in July.
"It's pretty terrifying," said Portia Judson, an ER nurse at the hospital.
"Part of the reason to have a Critical Access Hospital is because we are a hard to reach destination," Judson said. "There's one road in. And in foggy weather, LifeFlight can't get here."
The closest hospital is more than 30 minutes away in Ellsworth, barring busy summer tourist traffic and bad weather.
Erin Oberson, a nurse on the labor and delivery unit, said making women drive longer distances is not good care.
"It feels like every time there's a cut to be made, it's to women and children's services," Oberson said.
More than 1,100 people have signed a petition to keep the unit open.
But a spokesperson for MDI Hospital said the decision to close is firm because of declining birthing rates. There were only 33 births last year, which hospital officials say aren't enough to maintain staff skills.
Judson argues it's less safe to end the service, and nurses are eager to find a creative solution.
Three other hospitals in Maine have already closed maternity units this year: in Belfast, Waterville, and Houlton.
