Political climate leads to loss of labor and delivery services
An Idaho hospital is shutting down its labor and delivery services department, meaning the next closest hospital with OB/GYN providers is 30 miles away. Bonner General Health, based in Sandpoint, Idaho, alerted the public about the upcoming discontinuation of labor and delivery services at Bonner General Hospital.
The closure comes as the United States is facing a major shakeup in reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. The decision prompted several states, including Idaho, to immediately move to restrict abortion access. In addition, an ongoing legal spat over the abortion pill, mifepristone, is throwing the issue further into the limelight.
[Justice Department sues Idaho over abortion ban]
The hospital cited several reasons for closing its labor and delivery department, including the changing political landscape, loss of pediatrician coverage and volume and demographic changes.
"We have made every effort to avoid eliminating these services," Ford Elsaesser, Bonner General Health's board president, said in a statement. "We hoped to be the exception, but our challenges are impossible to overcome now."
The hospital will continue deliveries through May 19, though their capacity is dependent on staffing. The BGH team will coordinate care for women’s health patients scheduled to deliver in May and after.
“The closure of obstetrics will not be an easy transition for our Bonner General Health teams or our community and surrounding area,” the hospital stated.
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Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."