A plan to close the inpatient maternity unit at Grady Memorial Hospital in Delaware County, Ohio, has drawn opposition from the Ohio Nurses Association and Delaware County residents. Their concerns were aired at a Delaware City Council meeting on June 23, where testimony from nurses, patients and community members led the council to approve an emergency resolution opposing the closure.

OhioHealth announced earlier this month that it plans to discontinue inpatient maternity services at Grady Memorial, effective July 31, citing declining obstetric volumes in rural and suburban markets, both nationally and locally. The health system noted that fewer than 10 percent of babies in Delaware County were delivered at Grady in the last fiscal year.

But according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, low-volume hospitals can be safe; and in rural areas, they're often the only option. Nearly 60 percent of U.S. hospital births are at facilities that deliver fewer than 1,000 babies a year, making it essential that these hospitals are well-staffed, well-equipped and connected to higher-level facilities. The ACOG says that several practices can help maintain skills and safety at lower-volume facilities, including having as many qualified nursing and delivering staff as possible present at each delivery so everyone gains experience, and periodically sending staff to larger, higher-volume regional facilities for hands-on training.

Rick Lucas, ONA president and a registered nurse, called the decision "shortsighted and dangerous," pointing out that Delaware County is the fastest-growing county in Ohio and that the closure would force families to travel 30 minutes or more for inpatient maternity care.

Lucas tied the closure to broader concerns about healthcare consolidation. "This is what healthcare consolidation looks like: fewer choices, less access, and decisions made farther away from the communities they affect," he said, adding that the announcement reflects what happens when health systems prioritize financial considerations over community needs.

"OhioHealth likes to market itself as a community-focused healthcare provider," Lucas said. "But when profitable growth and market dominance are prioritized, while essential services disappear, patients have every right to question whose interests are really being served."

ONA says it will continue to oppose the closure alongside Delaware County residents. "OhioHealth's announcement isn't the end of inpatient maternity services at Grady," Lucas said. "It's the beginning of a demand from Delaware County families, nurses and health professionals that OhioHealth provide necessary, lifesaving healthcare services to Ohioans where they live."

[Adrienne Coles]