Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.-based Hutcheson Medical Center will suspend its labor and delivery services Dec. 31, a move that will affect 37 employees, according to a report by The Chattanoogan.
The services cost the hospital about $2 million in losses each year, and the volume of patients has dropped over the last decade, according to the report.
"Suspending labor and delivery services allows Hutcheson to refocus our resources and attention to growing medical service lines…that are needed in the community, are financially viable and will allow Hutcheson to remain fiscally strong and operate independently," Farrell Hayes, the hospital's CFO, COO and interim CEO, said, according to The Chattanoogan.
Some of the affected employees will be offered open positions elsewhere in the hospital. Those who do not qualify or do not accept the positions will get a severance package, according to the report.
Four other hospitals nearby offer labor and delivery services.
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