New York State Nurses Association nurses who work at Smithtown, N.Y.-based St. Catherine of Siena Hospital will hold a town hall Jan. 18 to speak out against the hospital's Feb. 1 planned maternity ward closure.
The hospital, part of Rockville Centre, N.Y.-based Catholic Health, announced the closure in late December.
"The voluntary OB/GYN physicians providing maternity care at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital will leave their current employer and, as part of their new contract, will no longer be able to provide maternity care at our hospital," a Catholic Health spokesperson told Becker's in a Dec. 28 statement.
The NYSNA called the ward closure "unconscionable" and is asking the hospital to reverse its decision, according to a Jan. 18 union news release shared with Becker's.
"The closure of these vital services will have a negative impact on the community, forcing pregnant individuals to travel 30-40 minutes more to other nearby hospitals," the union said. "This significantly increases the risk of adverse events during pregnancy or childbirth."
The hospital's staff will remain in their existing positions after the Feb. 1 closure, a spokesperson for Catholic Health said in a statement shared with Becker's.
"We will continue to work with the state to ensure we meet appropriate regulations regarding staffing and emergency delivery coverage going forward," the spokesperson said.