Scripps Mercy Chula Vista (Calif.) hospital, part of San Diego-based Scripps Health, is transferring its obstetrics care services and Rady Children's neonatal intensive care unit to its Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego campus.
"Scripps Mercy Chula Vista's emergency room visits average 170 patients per day, and frequently top 200 or more per day," a March 7 Scripps Health memorandum shared with employees and obtained by Becker's said. "We have been exceeding our licensed med/surg capacity every day over the past 12 months, resulting in long waits for many of our Emergency Department (ED) patients to be placed in an available med/surg bed."
The decision to consolidate the obstetrics unit with Scripps Mercy San Diego, which will take three to four months to transition, is designed to allow room for adult medical and surgical patients in need of a bed at the Chula Vista hospital, according to the memorandum.
"While inpatient beds at Chula Vista are currently occupied at or beyond full capacity, on average only about half the beds in the OB unit are in use," the memorandum said.
The change in services will affect 134 employees at Scripps Mercy Chula Vista, a Scripps Health spokesperson confirmed with Becker's.
"We are making every effort to identify other opportunities within Scripps and with our community partners," the spokesperson said.
Scripps has shared employment opportunities at Mercy San Diego and its other hospitals for those impacted by the service transfer. The conversion of Mercy Chula Vista OB unit is expected to bring in 28 medical-surgical and observation beds, which will require staff, the spokesperson said.
"Some OB staff may have the current skill set to make this move while others would require training," the spokesperson said. "But the timing of adding the medical-surgical and observation beds will depend on regulatory requirements."
Editor's note: This article was updated March 20 at 4:20 p.m. CT.