Starting in March, Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center says it will no longer operate a birth center for delivering babies.

In a statement to KATU News, it said the date is tentatively set for March 17.

Pregnant patients who arrive at the emergency department will be transferred to Randall Children’s Hospital or other local hospitals.

Legacy Mount Hood attributes the decision to financial losses in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with a low volume of births and an unusually 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,” it said. “Unfortunately, we could not identify a model that met all the criteria for Legacy and our providers.”

A retired office assistance told KATU the center is critical for patients coming from more rural areas like Government Camp.

"It's a huge loss. Let me just first say that a lot of our patients are from underserved communities and a lot of them don't have transportation or are not able to drive a distance to another hospital," said Connie Schmitt. "A lot of times they are lucky to get that far. We've had a lot of people who never would have made it further.”

KATU also heard from expectant parents who feel the decision is heartbreaking.