Community members are voicing their opposition to Franklin, N.C.-based Angel Medical Center's decision to discontinue labor and delivery services at the medical center, according to the Citizen-Times.
Officials at the Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health-owned facility said labor and delivery services at the medical center are slated to end by July 14. The facility will reportedly continue to provide pre- and post-natal services, gynecological services and preventative services, along with routine and complex care services for women.
Jane Kimsey, chair of the board of directors of Angel Medical Center, said in a statement that the "decision to discontinue labor and delivery services was very difficult," but that Mission Health plans to fund $43 million toward a replacement hospital.
However, some Franklin residents do not want the services discontinued. In a letter to Mission Health President and CEO Ron Paulus, MD, residents said ending labor and delivery services "[will have] far reaching, serious consequences for residents of Franklin and the surrounding area," according to the report.
Some residents also began an online petition to persuade Mission Health to continue the services at the medical center. Christa Suarez, who reportedly started the petition, told the Citizen-Times it had garnered more than 1,300 signatures.