Rural maternity services show system stresses early and are particularly vulnerable to shifts in provider supply or availability for intra-partum care. Several consultations have pointed to the importance of sustained availability of cesarean section capacity in preserving the small maternity services. 

Perinatal Services BC hosted a series of consultations in 2014 and 2015 with perinatal and surgical care stakeholders from across the province to discuss the complexity of the situation and explore opportunities for action. 

As part of the Western Provinces' Collaborative on Sustainable Rural Maternity and Surgical Services, PSBC is working with the rural community to facilitate the provision of sustainable, safe, and high-quality maternity and surgical programs in rural communities through the development of interprofessional rural health service delivery networks. These networks of rural health service sites and secondary/tertiary referral centres foster healthy rural communities through the collaborative planning, delivery, and evaluation of high-quality rural maternity and surgical services, delivered seamlessly across the continuum in integrated, team-based networks of care.