Community Chat

[simplyfriends]

Please don't make this political. I find it sad that so many hospitals here are having to close their maternity wards due to labor shortages, high costs due to inflation and declining birth rates. I'm sure it's not just California. 

[Sooner]

More people, jobs go begging. Something is very wrong in this equation.

[kaydee50]

It seems to me that hospitals in general are closing.  I know of several that have closed entirely.  I guess people aren't getting sick enough to require hospitalization???

[SilleeMee]

Hospitals are businesses. They experience the same losses (and gains in some instances) as any other business today. Inflation, declining number of patients and cash sources dwindling all effect a business.

[skatting44]

  A few years ago, I had read that Obstetricians incur high rates of professional insurance , so many Doctors do no go into that field of medicine .

[haddon9]

Financial pressure & staff shortage.  Where are some of these women supposed to go?

[Kachina624]

I was not aware that maternity "wards" still existed.

[lgfan]

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@haddon9 wrote:

Financial pressure & staff shortage.  Where are some of these women supposed to go?

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Maybe they will end up going to birthing centers and midwives.

[simplyfriends]

@Kachina624  that's what they still call them here. Maybe maternity department is better. 

[chrystaltree]

It's mostly due to declining birth rates, low insurance payments and rising expenses.  We haven't had maternity hospitals in this state in many years.  They couldn't survive financially and either went out of business or joined larger hospitals.  Now, some of those big hospitals  are closing their maternity wards.  Not enough babies being born to make it profitable.  This forced women to drive long distances for prenatal care and to deliver.  

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