BAKER CITY, OR -- An eastern Oregon hospital announced this week it will keep its birthing center open four more weeks. But lawmakers want a much longer extension.
Early this month, St. Alphonsus Health System announced its Baker City maternity ward would close this Sunday. Then, this week, it announced that deadline was pushed another month. Expectant mother Jessica Allen told Baker County Commissioners Thursday she now drives to Boise to see a new obstetrician because there's no certainty in Baker City. "It’s created a lot of frustration during a time that I should be planning to set up a crib and do all these fun things. It’s very stressful." She's pleased with the four week extension, but says that's not long enough for her pregnancy, "Obviously, we want the ultimate goal of keeping the birth center open. But I think that six months could potentially give somebody like me an opportunity to follow through with my original plans of giving birth here and not potentially giving birth on the side of the road, on my way to Boise."
Dr. Neil Carroll told Commissioners the uncertainty makes it difficult for his patients to plan deliveries, "We’ve kind of kicked the can down the road a little bit, but we need to have something more stable in place over the next several months, if we’re going to continue to provide these services."
Former hospital board member Jerry Peacock told County Commissioners, "Doggonit, let’s find a solution to it. I do believe there’s a solution. Sending young mothers over the mountain in the winter is not an obvious solution. It’s a safety issue." And Baker City Schools Superintendent Erin Lair told them the closure of the birth center will have a ripple effect, including making it difficult to recruit new teachers. "In maybe larger places, an entity making a decision is about that entity and the decision for the entity. In a place like Baker County, it is every corner of our county is touched by these decisions."
Commissioners unanimously agreed to spend at least $350,000 dollars to pay for traveling nurses subsidized by the federal government. They also made an additional $150,000 available if it's needed. And, they have asked St. Alphonsus to keep the birthing center open another six to 12 months until a long-term plan is developed. That plan is also supported by the Governor, both U.S. Senators and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
