Home / Health / Mothers-to-Be Scramble as Union Hospital Closes Birth Center
Mothers-to-Be Scramble as Union Hospital Closes Birth Center
23 May
Summary
- Cecil County's only birthing center at Union Hospital is closing June 30.
- Hospital cites aging community and workforce shortages for the closure.
- Medicaid patients face access issues as Delaware hospitals may not accept it.
Mothers-to-be in Cecil County face significant disruption as the Union Hospital's Family Birth Center, the county's only birthing facility, is set to close on June 30. The decision, announced by ChristianaCare, has left many women, like first-time mother Kasey Conner, distressed about finding new and trusted care in their final months of pregnancy.
The hospital attributes the closure to an aging community and workforce shortages. Patients are advised to seek care at neighboring sites, including Christiana Hospital, which is 13 miles away. However, Cecil County Executive Adam Streight highlighted a critical issue: many Maryland Medicaid patients' insurance is not accepted at Delaware hospitals.
This means expectant mothers will need to travel up to 40 minutes to Delaware or nearly an hour to Harford County's Upper Chesapeake Hospital. Streight expressed feelings of betrayal due to the lack of communication from ChristianaCare, noting that 31 providers, including nurses and physicians, will lose their jobs. A public hearing is scheduled for June 11th at 5 p.m. at the Comfort Inn in North East, MD, to address the closure and explore solutions.
