St. Marys, Pa.-based Penn Highlands Elk, part of DuBois, Pa.-based Penn Highlands Healthcare, is closing its labor and delivery services on May 1.
The services will be transferred to the Maternal and Child Center at Penn Highlands DuBois, according to a Penn Highlands Healthcare news release.
Penn Highlands Elk will continue offering prenatal and postnatal care, testing, ultrasounds, exams, and prenatal classes. Expectant mothers will still be able to see their physician at St. Marys-based Penn Highlands Women's Care, but will then deliver babies at Penn Highlands DuBois' Maternal and Child Center, about 34 miles away.
"This transition only impacts labor and delivery; all other prenatal and postpartum care and gynecological services will continue to be offered at Penn Highlands Elk," Trina Abla, DO, chief medical officer of Penn Highlands Healthcare, said in the release.
All labor and delivery employees at Penn Highlands Elk will have other employment opportunities within the health system, the release said.
An integrated health system, Penn Highlands Healthcare comprises eight hospitals and more than 150 patient care locations across Pennsylvania. It has nearly 6,600 employees, including 827 physicians, according to its website.