St. Mark's Announces Closure of Birthing Center

The St. Mark’s Medical Center Board of Directors announced on Friday, Aug. 25, the planned closure of obstetric (childbirth) services at the end of next month.  The St. Mark’s Board and leadership said they arrived at this difficult decision due to the loss of OB program financial support that had been received for several years through the State’s Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) program designed to serve Medicaid and uninsured individuals. 

The St. Mark’s Birthing Center—offering four labor/deliver/recover/postpartum (LDRP) rooms and services for newborns and new mothers—will continue to fully operate through September 30, 2017.  The unit will stop taking new patients at 7:00 a.m. on September 28, 2017. OB clinical staff members who are affected by the unit closure have opportunities for reassignment within St. Mark’s. 

Look for lots more on this issue in the next edition of The Fayette County Record.