LEOMINSTER, MASS. (WHDH) - The state Department of Public Health has delayed the closure of the maternity ward at the Leominster campus UMass Memorial Health Alliance-Clinton Hospital, finding the hospital’s plan to close was insufficient.
The maternity ward was scheduled to close on Sept. 23. In a letter this week detailing its finding, though, state officials asked for a complete plan and a new closure date later than the 23rd, writing “Based upon the information provided to date, the Department does not believe the Hospital’s closure plan is adequate.”
“It’s a small victory,” said Tara Corey, a registered nurse in the maternity unit in Leominster.
Corey and her coworkers have been among those raising concerns about the proposed closure. Corey said this latest move is a step in the right direction.
Still, Corey and others want Gov. Maura Healey to get involved.
“It’s proving that what we’re doing is being heard by the people that need to hear it and I think the only plan that is even a plan at all is to not close the unit,” Corey said.
“…That’s what we need the hospital to realize, or we need the governor to step in at this point and stop this closure,” Corey continued.
In a response Friday, UMass Memorial said in part, “We remain committed to continuing to engage in a transparent exchange of information as we address DPH’s latest questions and to preserving equitable access to maternity care for all birthing people across North Central Massachusetts.”
The controversy over the maternity ward closure has dragged on for months.
The Department of Public Health has said the ward is essential to the health of the area. But UMass Memorial has insisted there are other hospitals patients could go to.
If this closure moves forward, it would be the 11th maternity ward to close in Massachusetts as the state says the number of dangerous and even deadly births has gone up.
Some nurses have said this is a life or death fight.
“We know it’s not going to work,” Corey said. “Lives will be lost and we’re fighting for them.”
The DPH has said it cannot stop the maternity ward from closing, instead only delaying the closure.
Nurses said they plan to take the long Labor Day weekend to regroup before they plan to keep fighting next week.
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