In many jurisdictions internationally, distributed networks of clinical care have emerged as a planning principle to meet the needs of rural communities. Such networks rely on productive relationships between small rural sites and larger regional centres as the mechanism for training and backup and as the pathways for transfer when triage to a higher level of care is required. This paper explores the impact of the Rural Surgical Obstetrical Network (RSON) initiative on regional relationships between networked sites in order to provide data on the efficacy of networked models of healthcare. Implementation of networked care may ultimately lead to better patient care.