Fayetteville, N.C.-based Cape Fear Valley Health will permanently close Bladen County Hospital's Family Birth Center in Elizabethtown, N.C., reports WECT.
The birthing center has been closed since September 2018 due to damage from Hurricane Florence.
Cape Fear Valley Health on Jan. 10 said it will not reopen the center due to the hurricane damage and declining delivery rates. The birthing center recorded just 200 deliveries in 2018, as more women are opting to deliver their babies at larger hospitals in other counties, according to Cape Fear officials.
Bladen County Hospital will still offer pre- and postnatal care, along with emergency services, inpatient services and surgeries. Patients who seek prenatal care at the hospital can elect to deliver their babies at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, N.C.