Following the highly contested closure of a birthing center at UMass Memorial Health's Leominster Hospital the Massachusetts Nurses Association has come out against it and is calling for the state to halt further shutdowns until a review is conducted.
Two reports addressing maternal health and access to essential services across the state were released Nov. 15 by Gov. Maura Healey's office. The reports found that "while Massachusetts has no maternal services deserts, as defined by national standards, there are areas for improvement including data collection, regulatory changes, and targeted investments," a news release from Ms. Healey's office states.
But the nurses association wants more to be done.
"We are encouraged to see recommendations for a thorough review of access in Northern Worcester County, but believe this should be extended to all regions of the state that have lost access to inpatient maternal health services," the MNA statement reads. "We are also encouraged by the recommendation for a review of the essential service closure process and update statutes and regulations to better protect patient safety, expand community information and engagement, and sustain access to services overtime."
The closure of Leominster Hospital's birthing center is the 11th closure of a maternal health unit in the state in the last decade, the association claims. Because of this, state nurses want an "immediate moratorium on the closure of any inpatient maternal child health service in Massachusetts unless and until the state conducts a thorough assessment – region by region – of all issues related to access to maternal child health services."