Aspirus Medford (Wis.) Hospital and Clinics will transition maternal care services to another location starting Oct. 1 amid a shrinking OB-GYN pipeline.
While Aspirus Medford will continue to provide prenatal and postnatal care, deliveries will be performed at the Aspirus Wausau Hospital Birthing Center, according to a July 17 news release shared with Becker's from the Wausau, Wis.-based health system.
Since November 2020, the Medford hospital has had only one part-time OB-GYN physician, Dale Hustedt, president of Aspirus Health's Northwest Wisconsin Division, said in the release.
The American Medical Association has predicted a shortage of 5,000 OB-GYNs by 2030, with an aging workforce and burnout contributing to that projection, the release said.