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SRMC shutting down maternity services in July

Staff Reports

SALEM–Salem Regional Medical Center (SRMC) Friday announced the closure of its maternity services effective in July. Current maternity patients scheduled to deliver after that date will be transitioned to other area maternity providers.

SRMC is an independent not-for-profit hospital and has been affected by a declining birth rate due to an aging population in Columbiana County, according to a press release issued Friday. The county has seen a drop of 15.6 percent in overall births from 2009 to 2017, with births at the hospital dropping from 714 to 423 in the same time period.

Other services such as outpatient surgery, however, have increased.

According to Matthew M. Bender, chair of the SRMC Board of Directors, the decision to eliminate maternity services is based on the number of expectant mothers choosing to leave the community to deliver their babies and its economic impact on the facility. He said approximately 70 percent of expectant mothers are delivering their babies at non-SRMC providers and hospital reimbursement for maternity services no longer covers the cost to provide the service.

“We understand that our maternity unit has a very strong tie to our communities and we have truly appreciated the privilege to serve thousands of area families over many years,” Bender said. “This very difficult decision to close our maternity unit was reached after an extensive assessment of area women’s current choices when selecting maternity services…this very tough decision was made based on current consumer preferences for maternity care, the safety of our patients, physician and staff resources and financial performance data.”

SRMC President/CEO Anita Hackstedde said communications will be made in the next few days to transition expectant mothers scheduled to deliver after June 30 to area maternity centers. She said if an expectant mother is unable to reach a designated maternity center after June 30, SRMC emergency department physicians and staff are prepared to handle emergency deliveries.

The maternity unit’s closure will also impact obstetrics and gynecology patients who see the physicians affiliated with Salem Women’s Health Partners (SWHP). As of July 1, SWHP physicians will no longer provide local OB/GYN care and the practice will be closed. SWHP patients are currently being notified of their care transition options, including transferring to local primary care physicians who provide women’s health services.

Hackstedde noted that SRMC’s affiliated pediatricians will not be affected by the maternity unit’s closing, and will continue providing care to area children through their office-based practices.

“Our mission as a not-for-profit, independent hospital is closely aligned with meeting our communities’ needs,” Hackstedde added. “As our area’s demographics continue to change due to an aging population with increased rates of cancer and chronic disease, we will focus on offering specialized services that are uniquely tailored to these needs. To that end, we have already added several new primary care and specialty physicians to our medical staff to increase local access to care and expand prevention and wellness services into our neighboring communities.”

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