What happened during Katie Gowell's delivery in Maine?

Katie Gowell experienced a prolapsed umbilical cord, requiring her doctor, Dr. Rose Fuchs, to maintain critical care in an ambulance and later assist in a life-saving emergency delivery on June 1, 2025.

Why did Houlton Regional Hospital close its maternity unit?

Houlton Regional Hospital closed its maternity unit on May 2, 2025, due to declining births, staffing challenges, and increasing financial pressures.

How did the closure of Houlton's maternity unit affect patient care?

The closure significantly increased travel distances for obstetric care, leading to a critical emergency birth where a doctor had to assist during an ambulance transfer and an urgent delivery.

Home / Health / Mom's Life Saved in Dramatic On-Gurney Delivery After Hospital Closure

Mom's Life Saved in Dramatic On-Gurney Delivery After Hospital Closure

27 Jan

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Summary

A critical birth occurred with the doctor crouched between the patient's legs in an ambulance.
Houlton Regional Hospital closed its maternity unit, impacting access to care in rural Maine.
A baby was delivered on an operating table with the doctor still on a gurney due to urgency.

On June 1, 2025, a medical emergency unfolded in Patten, Maine, as Katie Gowell experienced a prolapsed umbilical cord during labor. Her physician, Dr. Rose Fuchs, provided critical care while awaiting an ambulance, emphasizing the urgency due to the recent closure of Houlton Regional Hospital's maternity unit a month prior. The closest alternative facilities were significantly farther away, exacerbating the perilous situation.

Dr. Fuchs accompanied her patient in the ambulance, a precarious journey requiring her to maintain a specific position to ensure the baby's survival. The situation escalated as the closest hospital, Houlton Regional, had ceased obstetric services on May 2, 2025, becoming the 11th hospital in Maine to do so in a decade. This closure significantly widened the distance to obstetric care for local residents.

Upon arrival at Houlton Regional, a critical decision was made to proceed with an emergency Cesarean section. The medical team, including an OB-GYN and nurses called in, prepared for surgery. Dr. Fuchs remained on the gurney between the patient's legs, holding the umbilical cord, as the operating table was set up around her, a measure of the extreme urgency.