Moms make plans to deliver outside Portage as labor and delivery unit closes

Whether Christine Foley is able to follow her original birth plan all hinges on whether she goes into labor three days early.

The Kent woman's due date to give birth to her second daughter is Nov. 15, three days after University Hospitals Portage Medical Center plans to close the labor and delivery unit of the hospital in Ravenna. But if she goes into labor on Nov. 11, she'd be one of the last patients in the birth center.

"If I'm admitted on the 11th, she'll be born in Ravenna," Foley said, "But if it's one minute past midnight, I'll be transported to Geauga."

With about six weeks until delivery, Foley and her husband are facing an agonizing choice — drive 50 minutes to UH Geauga Medical Center in Chardon or transfer to another obstetrician in Akron and deliver at one of the hospitals there, which offers a shorter drive time.

More:UH Portage Medical Center to end labor and delivery services

It's a dilemma many parents in Portage County and the region are facing. Many moms interviewed by the Record-Courier expressed a reluctance to change doctors in the middle of a pregnancy. Some say they're having a hard time finding a doctor near them who will accept them as a patient so far into their pregnancy. But those who plan to stay with their local doctor say it's unclear whether their doctor will follow them to Chardon when it's time to deliver.

University Hospitals cites staffing, strains on system for closing UH Portage Medical Center

Last week, University Hospitals announced plans to shift labor and delivery services from UH Portage Medical Center in Ravenna to UH Geauga Medical Center in Chardon. The transition will take effect on Nov. 12, according to a release from University Hospitals.

A combination of staffing shortages and stress on local and national health care systems contributed to the decision, the hospital system stated.

Obstetrician retires:Portage doctor to deliver his last baby

Ansley Gogol, spokeswoman for University Hospitals, said UH Portage will still be equipped to handle emergency births through the emergency department.

"Specialized training will be provided to UH Portage emergency department staff as an additional safety precaution should urgent services be needed there," she said. "Patients have the choice to find a new provider or follow their provider to another UH location. UH records are accessible throughout the health system at any location. If patients are switching to a different hospital, they can speak to their providers about the best way to transfer their medical records."

An average of 1,350 babies were born to Portage County residents each year between 2017 and 2021, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Roughly half of those were born at UH Portage over the past decade, the ODH said. The hospital delivered between 595 and 704 babies annually since 2012, with 627 born there last year, and 490 so far this year. The ODH stated numbers for 2021 and 2022 are preliminary.

UH Geauga Medical Center is 24 miles away from UH Portage Medical Center, or a 35-minute drive, according to Google Maps.

But for moms who were already facing a drive to get to Ravenna, the drive to Chardon is even longer.

‘How do I reestablish a relationship with a provider?’

Autumn Brown lives in Milton Township in Mahoning County, just over the Portage County border. She is expecting her fifth child on Christmas Day. She has been seeing her physician, Dr. Soghra Homafar, for 11 years, and prefers UH Portage's birth center over Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Boardman, where her older children were born.

Now that she's facing a drive of more than an hour to Chardon, potentially in winter weather, she's considering going back to the Boardman hospital, which is a 25-minute drive away. But she's unsure how to get her records to that hospital system, especially if she's not able to change doctors.

"It's just a hassle, trying to find another hospital and another doctor," she said. "A lot of doctors don't accept transfers this far into a pregnancy."

Foley also said it's difficult to switch doctors at 33 weeks, one reason she will probably stick with her physician, Dr. Jennifer Carroll, and deliver in Chardon. Carroll hasn't told her whether she'll be present for her delivery, however.

"I'm 33 weeks along; how do I reestablish a relationship with a provider by then?" she said. "This is one of the most personal things you can do."

She said she's had complications in the past, and her doctor has told her there's a possibility she might need an emergency cesarean section. She has an appointment with a doctor affiliated with St. Elizabeth, but doesn't know if she'll end up transferring.

"When you're comfortable with your doctor, they know your history," she said. "You never know who you're going to get (if you switch)."

Hospitals absorb hundreds of births after maternity wards close

Five maternity wards in the Youngstown and Warren area have closed in recent years, including the one at Trumbull Regional Hospital at the end of 2020, the Warren Tribune-Chronicle reported. Two hospitals in the region have absorbed hundreds of births as a result, the newspaper reported, with St. Joseph Warren delivering about 1,200 babies per year and St. Elizabeth Boardman about 3,300 annually.

Amber Burkey, a former Portage County resident, moved to Champion in the Warren area. She is set to deliver her fifth child by scheduled C-section in late January. Her physician, Dr. Beth Reynolds, has told her she won't make the drive to Chardon, citing winter weather.

"I'm so mad about that because I'm so comfortable with her in the surgery room," she said.

Burkey said a family member of hers had a negative experience at one of the Warren hospitals, which was why she chose to deliver at UH Portage even after moving to Trumbull County. She suspects many moms in her area feel the same way, and choose UH Portage, especially after Trumbull Regional closed its maternity ward.

"I know the birth census is low, but it has improved, and is going to improve," she said.

Maternity ward closings not unique to Portage County

According to a recent article published by Kaiser Health News, the UH Portage closure is representative of a larger national trend.

The article cites a 2017 study in the journal Health Affairs that found 9% of rural U.S. counties lost all hospital obstetric services from 2004 to 2014.

A 2020 report from the March of Dimes also found urban counties are more likely to have a hospital providing obstetric care than rural counties (58% and 37.6%, respectively.)

Brown, who will be the mom of three daughters once her baby is born, said she worries about them, and where they will give birth someday if maternity wards continue their trend of closing.

"What's going to happen in the future?" she said. "The whole situation is crazy for everyone."

Record-Courier staff writer Derek Kreider contributed to this article. Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Moms change birth plans as UH Portage birth center prepares to close