45 hospitals closing departments or ending services

45 hospitals closing departments or ending services unknown

A number of healthcare organizations have recently closed medical departments or ended services at facilities to shore up finances, focus on more in-demand services or address staffing shortages.

Here are 45 closures or services ending, announced, advanced or finalized that Becker's has reported since Feb. 2:

1. Vicksburg, Miss.-based Merit Health River Region closed its behavioral health unit on June 30.

2. Wilkes-Barre (Pa.) General Hospital moved up the date it planned to end childbirth services by about three weeks, with the care ending abruptly July 11.

3. Good Samaritan Hospital, operated by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, plans to close the inpatient psychiatric facility at its Mission Oaks Hospital in Los Gatos, Calif., on Aug. 20.

4. Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine shut down one of its urgent care centers, Penn Urgent Care South Philadelphia, on June 30, as more patients are turning to telehealth for care.

5. Hartford City, Ind.-based IU Health Blackford Hospital announced it will close its emergency department and no longer offer inpatient services due to a reduction in patient volume.

6. The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board on June 27 unanimously approved a request from HSHS St. Mary's Hospital to shutter four of its units. The Decatur, Ill.-based hospital will wrap up its advanced inpatient rehabilitation, obstetrics and newborn nursery, pediatrics and inpatient behavioral health services.

7. Albany, N.Y.-based St. Peter's Health Partners submitted a plan to the state Department of Health to shut down the maternity unit at Samaritan Hospital. If approved, the Troy, N.Y., hospital will close the unit in about four to six months.

8. Jackson, Miss.-based St. Dominic Health Services is ending its behavioral health services unit, citing financial difficulties. The unit stopped taking admissions after June 6.

9. Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Lutheran Hospital is closing its heart transplant and inpatient burn units due to low patient volumes. The inpatient burn unit stopped accepting new patients June 2.

10. Worcester, Mass.-based UMass Memorial Health plans to close the maternity ward at its HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital Sept. 22 due to staff shortages and a declining number of births in the area.

11. Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth closed its pediatric cardiology clinic, sleep clinic, optometry clinic and optical shop July 21. It also ended its comprehensive outpatient palliative care May 26 and reduced staff to one nurse and one social worker for in-home care.

12. Milwaukee-based Froedtert closed the behavioral health unit at Froedtert Menomonee Falls (Wis.) May 12.

13. Welch (W.Va.) Community Hospital announced plans to close its long-term care unit. The closure of the 59-bed unit is part of the hospital’s transition to the West Virginia University Health System.

14. Peoria, Ill.-based OSF HealthCare is closing its labor and delivery services at OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana, Ill. Starting in September, labor and delivery patients will be redirected to OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville, Ill. or OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, Ill.

15. Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent closed its obstetrics unit May 26. The move comes as birth rates decline in the area along with staffing trouble.

16. Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health ended acute care, general surgery and emergency services at Einstein Medical Center Elkins Park (Pa.) and convert the facility solely into a physical rehabilitation provider.

17. CoxHealth closed the labor and delivery unit at Cox (Mo.) Monett Hospital, citing difficulties recruiting obstetricians and family practice physicians.

18. Warsaw, N.Y.-based Wyoming County Community Health System ended its birthing services June 1 amid financial challenges and declining births in the area.

19. Alta Vista Regional Hospital in Las Vegas, N.M., ended intensive care unit services June 3. The hospital said the change would allow it to focus on its highly utilized medical-surgical unit.

20. Springfield, Ore.-based McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center closed its maternity health practice July 7. The for-profit McKenzie-Willamette hospital said the 11-employee midwifery program was "unsustainable."

21. Renton, Wash.-based Providence ended labor and delivery at Petaluma (Calif.) Valley Hospital May 1 until further notice.

22. Gardner, Mass.-based Heywood Hospital closed its pulmonary unit in mid-April due to financial reasons.

23. Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital "ceased use" of its emergency use annex April 11 amid discussions to extend its certificate of occupancy.

24. Chelsea (Mich.) Hospitalclosed its inpatient behavioral health unit and moved 12 of its beds to Trinity Health Ann Arbor.

25. Danbury, Conn.-based Nuvance Health closed Thompson House, a 100-bed rehabilitation facility in Rhinebeck, N.Y., and laid off its 102 employees, effective April 12.

26. Holly Springs, Miss.-based Alliance HealthCare System began transitioning to rural emergency hospital status March 31, meaning it will end all inpatient care services.

27. MercyOne North Iowa closed its hospice facility in Mason City April 17 amid industry pressures of inflation and high labor costs.

28. Brewer, Maine-based Northern Light Health is no longer providing cataract, glaucoma and oculoplastic surgeries at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

29. Plymouth, Ind.-based St. Joseph Health System closed its New Beginnings Birthplace center because it has been unable to attract an obstetrician. It also closed its OB-GYN office March 31.

30. Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health and medical services provider Shields Health closed their urgent care clinic locations in Feeding Hills, Longmeadow and Westfield, Mass., on March 31.

31. Palomar Medical Center Poway (Calif.), part of Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health, closed its labor and delivery unit, at least temporarily, in June.

32. A combination of a loss of pediatricians, changing demographics and some of the strictest abortion laws in the country forced Sandpoint, Idaho-based Bonner General Hospital to end obstetrics services.

33. Cabell Huntington (W.Va.) Hospital, part of Mountain Health Network, closed its CHH Surgery Center April 28 and is phasing out its home health services to better align its resources and reduce costs amid financial headwinds.

34. The only hospital in Manitowoc, Wis., a city of nearly 35,000 — Froedtert Holy Family Memorial Hospital — stopped all obstetrics care June 1.

35. Citing a lack of provider coverage, Ocean Springs, Miss.-based Singing River Health System said it would end obstetric services, which include labor and delivery, at Singing River Gulfport (Miss.), at least temporarily. The move became effective April 1.

36. Astria Toppenish (Wash.) Hospital is one of many rural hospitals closing labor and delivery care due to costs, creating maternity deserts in areas that need care most, The New York Times reported.

37. Cleveland-based University Hospitals ended labor and delivery services at UH Lake West in Willoughby, Ohio, April 15. The hospital said services would be consolidated at TriPoint in Concord Township, which is about 15 miles away.

38. Jefferson, Mo.-based Capital Region Medical Center closed two clinics in Holts Summit and St. Elizabeth, Mo., April 15.

39. In February, Trinity Health Muskegon (Mich.) announced plans to temporarily close a 30-bed surgical floor due to staffing shortages.

40. St. Mark's Medical Center in La Grange, Texas, cut nearly half its staff and various services as it looks to survive amid significant financial challenges. Service cuts include inpatient and surgical services, post-acute skilled rehab care, its orthopedic clinic, speech therapy and ambulatory care.

41. OhioHealth's Shelby Hospital stopped providing maternity services Feb. 28. Maternity services are provided 13 miles away at OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital.

42. Arcata, Calif.-based Mad River Community Hospital cut 27 jobs as it suspends its home health services program. The program will be suspended upon the completion of services to the hospital's existing patients, which was expected to be in April.

43. Oroville (Calif.) Hospital closed Golden Valley Home Health, the hospital's home health business.

44. Ascension Providence Hospital-Southfield (Mich.) ended midwifery services in February.

45. Rumford (Maine) Hospital closed its maternity program March 31 after 97 years in service.