UMass Memorial Wellness to close maternity ward at Leominster campus

UMass Memorial Wellness will shut down the inpatient maternity ward at its Leominster campus in the fall, a hospital official mentioned, a move that drew swift condemnation by state legislators who represent the area and program to protest subsequent week.

Citing “industry-wide workforce shortages” and “the steadily declining quantity of births in North Central Massachusetts,” UMass Memorial Wellness Alliance-Clinton Hospital President Steve Roach mentioned the hospital has notified the state Division of Public Wellness that it intends to close the birthing unit on Sept. 22. The program ought to be authorized by regulators.

“This was an specifically hard selection for our overall health method, as our compassionate caregivers have helped thousands of parents and households navigate the birthing journey and welcome new loved ones into their lives for so a lot of decades,” Roach mentioned in a statement.

Roach mentioned the staffing shortage has “exacerbated the challenges of totally staffing our maternity inpatient unit regularly … regardless of our persistent attempts to recruit and retain clinicians in this area.” And the declining birth price, he mentioned, “has a considerable influence on our unit’s future capacity to give labor and delivery care to our sufferers.”

Members of the state delegation representing Leominster and the surrounding area have been united in their response to the announcement Friday morning. A rally to cease the closure is scheduled for Tuesday at six p.m. at the hospital.

State Senator John J. Cronin, a Lunenburg Democrat, blasted the hospital’s selection to close the unit, calling the move “an unjustified decision” that puts the overall health of mothers and their newborns at threat.

“This will outcome in our most marginalized households without the need of access to trusted transportation forced to provide babies in the overcrowded Leominster emergency division or on the side of the highway on their way to Gardner or Worcester,” Cronin mentioned in a statement posted on his Facebook web page.

“Over the previous decade, North Central has endured UMass Memorial’s closure of the mental overall health and urgent care center at Burbank Hospital in Fitchburg, endoscopy and ambulatory solutions from Clinton, cardiac and pulmonary rehab and inpatient pediatric unit in Leominster. Sufficient is sufficient.”

The statement was also shared on social media by Representatives Natalie Higgins, Meg Kilcoyne, and Mike Kushmerek.

Members of the state delegation representing Leominster and the surrounding area have been united in their response to the announcement Friday morning. A rally to cease the closure is scheduled for Tuesday at six p.m. at the hospital.

Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com. Adhere to him on Twitter @NickStoico.