MITCHELL COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — About a month after Mission Health announced it will close the labor and delivery department at Angel Medical Center in Franklin, another labor and delivery department in a rural area is shutting down.

Young and old gathered next to Blue Ridge Hospital with signs on Monday, urging Mission Health's board of directors to keep the labor and delivery department open.

Mission Health announced plans to end labor and delivery services at Blue Ridge Hospital back in May 2017. The board voted to shut down the department on Monday afternoon. Officials said they plan to stop delivering babies by September 30, 2017.

Protesters told News 13 if women are forced to travel to Marion or Asheville to have their babies, more children will be born along the side of the road, and they say that puts more babies at risk.

Former ER doctor Jerry Cade said his daughter's and grandson's lives were saved by having this labor and delivery department close by when every second counted.

"Had a crash c-section here. Her son, my grandson, and she were both saved. And I really believe one or the other of them wouldn't have been if they had had to drive down the mountain," Dr. Cade told News 13 on Monday.

Mission Health wants to consolidate Mitchell County's labor and delivery services with McDowell County's. Mission CEO Ron Paulus told News 13 in May that very few babies are being born in Mitchell County -- only 173 last year. Paulus also said a new McDowell Hospital that's slated to open near the site of the current one will feature "five state of the art birthing suites, three inpatient/outpatient operating rooms, including a dedicated C-section room."

Other protesters expressed concern about the long winding road between Mitchell County and the hospital in Marion.

"It's the kind of drive I hesitate to make in any kind of inclement weather and would hate to think about being under the stress of being in labor," Courtney Martin said.