Maternity Ward Closure Sparks Health Access Concerns

Merrimack Health is consolidating maternity services, moving operations from its Methuen campus to an existing unit in Lawrence. This consolidation will close 24 maternity beds and 10 special care nursery beds at Methuen, with care transferred to Lawrence's 33 maternity beds and 10 special care nursery beds. The health system states that low patient volume at Methuen makes it challenging to maintain high-quality care and staff competencies.

Approximately 85 employees will be affected by this change, though Merrimack Health anticipates most will be relocated to positions in maternal-child health at the Lawrence campus or elsewhere within the system. The proposal also includes closing seven unstaffed pediatric beds at the Haverhill campus and transitioning 20 unstaffed pediatric beds at Methuen for medical/surgical patients to support operating room availability.

The health system has filed notice with the state, initiating a 120-day review period for these proposed changes. Critics, like the Massachusetts Nurses Association, express concern about the potential strain on the Lawrence facility and question the justification of declining birth rates, suggesting that other factors like physician practice losses and the prior Steward Healthcare crisis may have contributed to lower patient census.