Dozens of people rallied in Leominster, Massachusetts, on Tuesday night to raise concerns about care for expectant mothers and their children.
Protesters gathered outside of Leominster Hospital, calling on officials to rethink the closure of the hospital's maternity inpatient unit.
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The hospital blames the decision on industry-wide workforce shortages, but nurses said that drive times for mothers going into labor will be far too long if they're forced to go to other hospitals.
"I'm greatly concerned for the moms and the babies of this community," labor and delivery nurse at Leominster Hospital Amy Gagnon said. "Moms will die. Babies will die. Not necessarily everyone, some babies are born healthy, but these people will have no formal training."
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Last Friday, the hospital submitted a notice to the Department of Public Health for the proposed closure. If it is approved, that unit will shut down at the end of September.
President of UMass Memorial Health Alliance-Clinton Hospital Steve Roach issued a statement about the proposed closure, saying that "this was an especially difficult decision for our health system, as our compassionate caregivers have helped thousands of parents and families navigate the birthing journey and welcome new loved ones into their lives for so many decades."
"While patients can continue to receive their obstetrics care and deliver within the UMass Memorial Health system at UMass Memorial Medical Center, we will continue to work closely with our community obstetric and pediatric providers to maintain access to prenatal and postnatal care," Roach said in the statement. "In addition, we will be making investments in other community organizations to maintain access to women’s health services in the region."
Roach said another reason for the proposed closure of the unit was a steadily declining number of births in north-central Massachusetts.
