STAFF AT Merrimack Health’s Methuen campus – formerly Holy Family Hospital – delivered the facility’s last baby today after the hospital announced last week it would move the expected closure of its maternity unit up by more than a month.
On April 1, the three-campus health system announced its plans to shutter the obstetric unit on August 1 and consolidate its maternity and neonatal services at Lawrence General Hospital, which is less than two miles away. But on June 23, administrators informed Methuen nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) that they would cease admissions to the hospital’s maternity unit as of June 29.
“To ensure continuity of care, minimize disruption for birthing patients, and avoid the need for transfers, Merrimack Health communicated that it would cease admitting new patients to the Methuen Hospital birthing center as of June 29,” a spokesperson for Merrimack Health told CommonWealth Beacon.
The closure comes after the Department of Public Health (DPH) deemed the unit an essential service “necessary for preserving access and health status within the hospital’s service area.” Beyond that recognition, the department has little authority over hospital service closures.
The closure will eliminate Methuen’s 24 maternity and 10 special care nursery bassinet beds. It will be the 13th in a string of maternity service closures – six of which have occurred in Gateway Cities – since 2010 in Massachusetts. In 2014, the region lost a labor and delivery unit when Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill merged with then-Holy Family Hospital in Methuen.
“Historically, these two hospitals competed for maternity services,” Merrimack Health CEO Diana Richardson said of Lawrence and Methuen in a statement. “We are bringing together two trusted programs that will allow for a more seamless experience for mothers, babies, and families and greater collaboration among providers. By combining these services into a single center of care, Merrimack Health ensures continued access to maternity care locally.”
The Methuen maternity unit averaged fewer than two deliveries per day, according to Merrimack Health, and the special care nursery averaged a daily census of fewer than one infant. Around two-thirds of the health system’s deliveries currently occur at Lawrence Hospital.
About 85 employees are being affected by the consolidation. Merrimack Health said the impacted staff have the opportunity to move into positions at Lawrence Hospital or elsewhere within the health system.
Lawrence Hospital currently houses a 33-bed maternity unit with 10 special care nursery beds. More than 1,500 babies are delivered there every year, while nearly 800 are delivered at the Methuen campus.
“To be told that our last scheduled case will be Monday – just six short days after the announcement – is unacceptable. We were told this was due to concerns about safe staffing, yet no one truly knows whether staffing would have been inadequate because staff had not even been given the opportunity to commit to additional shifts,” said Karen Powers, a nurse at the Methuen campus and co-chair of its MNA bargaining unit. “Our hearts are broken for our coworkers, and more importantly for our patients, who expected to deliver their babies in Methuen with the team they know and trust.”
In May, DPH held a legally required public hearing regarding the closure, during which nurses expressed concerns about Lawrence General’s readiness to take on additional patients. Specifically, commenters raised questions about the availability of labor and delivery operating rooms and the status of repairs.
After the hearing, DPH requested that Merrimack Health submit a plan detailing how the health system would ensure that Lawrence Hospital is prepared for the increase in patient volume.
A spokesperson for DPH said the department has not officially been notified of the June 29 closure date and has reached out to Merrimack Health. The department received Merrimack Health’s plan on June 23 and is reviewing it. DPH said it will provide comments within the required 10-day window, although the closure has already passed.
