The Massachusetts Nurses Association is questioning UMass Memorial Health's stated reasons for closing a maternity ward in Leominster, Mass.
The Worcester, Mass.-based system said it plans to close the maternity unit at HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital on Sept. 22 because of staffing shortages and a decline of births in the area.
The nurses association cast doubt on the staffing reason, called the decision "callous and unnecessary," and staged a protest outside the hospital on May 30, according to a news release.
"Whatever problems that exist with staffing the unit are by design, as hospital management for years has understaffed the hospital as a means of increasing revenue at the expense of patient care," the association said. "Over the years, the MNA has filed dozens of grievances with management over their failure to recruit appropriate staff in all areas of the hospital, including the maternity unit."
Amy Gagnon, a labor and delivery nurse who has worked in the birthing center for 12 years, said in the release that the hospital has purposefully frozen hiring practices for over a year "to claim they have no staffing," which she said is "all part of their plan to streamline services to drive patients to Worcester and not what is best for the community."
When asked for comment on the association's statements, UMass Memorial Health sent Becker's the same statement announcing the planned closure.
"We will continue to work closely with our community obstetric and pediatric providers to maintain access to prenatal and postnatal care," Steve Roach, president of UMass Memorial Health Alliance-Clinton Hospital, said in a statement. "We are committed to transparency as our proposal undergoes regulatory consideration and to ensuring that our patients have access to the high-quality care and services they expect and deserve."