ELKTON, Md. — Big news for expectant parents in and around Cecil County.
Come June 30th ChristianaCare is closing down its family birth center at Union Hospital in Elkton.
Campus President, Joan Pirrung, said the decision was made partially due to aging of the community and an increase of high-risk pregnancies.
According to ChristianaCare, the population of Cecil County residents age 65 plus is estimated to grow by 20 percent over the next five years.
“Following months of close market assessment and industry analysis, we recognize that our community is aging," said Pirrung. "At the same time, high-risk pregnancies are increasing with a decline in lower-acuity births."
The next closest hospital is about 13 miles away at ChristianaCare's Newark, Delaware facility.
"Most families are best served at a larger hospital with the full range of capabilities including neonatal intensive care," said Pirrung. "Many families today are already choosing to have their childbirth at the ChristianaCare Center for Women’s & Children’s Health in Newark, Delaware, or at another Maryland facility.”
Workforce shortages are also to blame, having impacted how hospitals in smaller rural areas serve their patients.
"Maintaining a labor and delivery unit requires consistent patient volumes, specialized staffing and the resources needed to ensure safe, reliable care," said Pirrung
With its closure of the family birth center, Union Hospital plans on expanding their cardiology, gastroenterology, gynecology and urology departments.
For families impacted, the hospital says it will continue offering before and after-birth outpatient care.
