Nurses walked out of the Legacy Mount Hood Birthing Center for the last time Sunday afternoon. A video sent to KATU News shows nurses crying and hugging as they walked out of the birthing center to the applause of other staffers and community members.
CONTINUING COVERAGE | Mount Hood Medical Center closing its birthing center
Legacy made the decision to close the center in January, citing the low volume of births and an unusual high-cost care model.
"We explored all possible options to continue operating the Family Birth Center to deliver safe, quality care in a cost-efficient and sustainable model. Unfortunately, we could not identify a model that met all the criteria for Legacy and our providers," Legacy Health said in a statement in early February.
Patients who arrive at the emergency department will be transferred to Randall Children’s Hospital or other Portland area hospitals. A nurse told KATU News that the emergency department is not capable of providing emergency C-sections and does not have an on-call anesthesiologist to administer epidurals.
Over the past two months, nurses, doctors, community groups, and concerned citizens have made attempts to change the decision to close the birthing center.
The Oregon Health Authority said they received the waiver request from Legacy to discontinue maternity services for three years on March 7, 2023. At the time, OHA said they would review the request, but didn’t commit to a timeline for the review.
Legacy closed the birthing center without approval from the Oregon Health Authority, which could prompt the agency to take regulatory action. It is possible that type of action would target the entire Mount Hood Medical Center. As of Friday, OHA is still considering Legacy Health’s waiver to close the birthing center and has not announced any regulatory action against the hospital system.
OHA declined KATU’s interview request Friday to discuss the closure. An agency spokesperson said the interim director is not available to comment directly because of the ongoing review of Legacy Health’s waiver.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek's office said they are monitoring the situation.
"The Governor’s top priority is to ensure that Oregon families, no matter their zip code, have access to the care they need, when they need it. There are protocols between providers and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) in instances like this to evaluate the appropriateness of a potential closure based on the needs of a given community to access care. That process is underway and OHA leadership will continue to keep the Governor's office updated," Kotek's office said in a statement to KATU Thursday, March 16.
State Representative Zach Hudson represents Oregon's 49th district, where the hospital is located.
He decried Legacy's decision to go ahead and close the Birth Center Sunday without waiting for OHA's approval.
“Legacy is as of now, out of compliance with state law. And so what happens from here is up to them and up to the Oregon Health Authority, but they are currently not following state law because they are operating without a birthing center and without a waiver to do so,” he said.
Rep. Hudson and State Representative Ricki Ruiz are calling on OHA to deny Legacy's waiver, and somehow force them to reopen the Birth Center.
“It’s my hope the Oregon Health Authority will decide not to grant the waiverI’m really hoping that by denying the waiver it will bring Legacy back to the table, and make them take the conversation seriously,” Rep. Hudson said.