Wyoming County’s community hospital has delivered less than 200 babies per year for the past decade. That’s among the reasons why the hospital finally decided to cut the cord on its maternity and obstetrics program.
“Once a hospital drops below about 200 births, that's a red flag,” said CEO David Kobis. Kobis said the lack of patients disrupted the quality of care staff provided. He said nurses on the OB floor would sometimes spend days with nothing to do.
“To maintain competency in any clinical specialty, you have to do whatever you're doing,” Kobis said. With so little work, “It's very tough to maintain your competencies.”
Kobis added that financial losses and staff recruitment were also deciding factors on the program’s suspension. The maternal health program was losing almost $3 million a year with one OBGYN on call.
“That's a tough situation, not only just for Wyoming County and our hospital here, but across the country,” he said.
A report by the Center of Quality Care and Payment Reform noted that nearly 30% of all rural hospitals in the country – are at risk of closing due to financial problems, which adds to the gap in health care access that many people in rural communities face.
Kobis said patients are being diverted 30 minutes away to United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia. Its president, Daniel Ireland, said they’re willing and equipped to carry the load.
“We're going to make sure that people get care as close to home is possible,” Ireland said. “We want to make sure that we're supporting as best we can.”
Kobis said the OB staff at WCCHS will be reassigned to other departments if they choose to stay.
