Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne will stop labor and delivery services on August 30. Meanwhile, a Change.org petition submitted by community members to keep the unit open already has more than 1,500 signatures.
Texas Health told employees about the change in early July, blaming low delivery numbers for the closure. The administration says it is working to keep staff employed within the facility. The hospital also says it is providing additional support to patients planning to deliver in the Ann Marti Schmidt Women and Infants’ Services Unit. Texas Health recently completed a $60 million renovation of the Margot Perot Center for Women and Infants at its Dallas hospital.
The community petition, titled “Labor and delivery services to continue at THC” has amassed more than 1,600 signatures with a goal of 2,500. One of the organizers behind the petition, Brandi Gregg, is the daughter of Ann Marti Schmidt, an OBGYN for whom the ward was named. The hospital’s labor and delivery services unit has been open for 38 years and was named after Schmidt in the early 2000s.
“The news was just a kick in the gut; we didn’t have a clue that the labor delivery services at Cleburne were closing, “Gregg said. “The petition wasn’t to raise money for a cause by any means; it was to just raise awareness and let everyone know that this is happening and to voice their opinions. We wanted to see how many signatures we can get to let them know how valuable this is for the community.”
According to the statement, Texas Health Women’s Care will remain open and continue to offer gynecologic surgery. Obstetrical services will also be available at nearby locations such as Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southwest Fort Worth, and Texas Health Huguley Hospital Fort Worth South. Those facilities are all about 30 minutes from Cleburne’s hospital.
The announcement to close the unit was made 45 days before the planned closing, which Gregg says will leave women who planned on delivering after August 30 to find a new location for their delivery.
“I think about the risks involved when there’s that emergency,” Gregg said. “People have babies every day, and it’s usually not an emergency, but it is when someone has to drive another 30 or 40 minutes or an hour to get to a labor and delivery unit that specializes in this.”
Gregg said that the petition received around 1,000 signatures within the first week. Gregg gave birth to both of her children in the unit after it was named in honor of her mother, and two of her grandchildren have been born in the unit as well. She describes the labor and delivery services in Cleburne as “a community staple.”
“The outpouring of people calling, especially on Facebook, is just incredible,” Gregg said. “My mother was very passionate about making sure that these women in the rural communities had access to a labor delivery unit.”
The unit will close at 5 p.m. on August 30. “Texas Health Cleburne has served the community for 38 years and remains committed to providing acute care inpatient services,” the statement reads.
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