Summa closing Barberton Hospital labor and delivery unit, moving services to Akron

Summa Health System is closing Barberton Hospital's labor and delivery unit in mid-November and relocating maternity services to its Akron City Hospital campus.

The change, effective Nov. 15, is being made as part of an ongoing evaluation of Summa services, the Akron-based health care organization announced Tuesday. The organization also is making a major reorganization of its executive leadership team, including the creation of a new chief operating officer position.

Labor and delivery pains:Expectant moms scrambling amid impending closure of Portage County's only maternity unit

Summa said it remains committed to the Barberton community and will be evaluating what new services to put in the hospital space that will be vacated by the maternity services. There are no plans to eliminate other inpatient services or make wide-ranging cuts at the Barberton campus, according to the health system.

Summa has announced plans for expansion elsewhere while also saying it plans to close at least one major facility in its service area.

Barberton Hospital will continue to operate labor and delivery services as usual up until the transfer on Nov. 15.

The 24 people who staff Barberton's labor and delivery services will be offered jobs at the Akron campus, including in the maternity services wing, which is about a nine-minute drive from Barberton, said Dr. Cliff Deveny, Summa president and chief executive officer.

Deveny said Summa, which has 8,000 employees, has about 1,000 job openings from executive positions to frontline.

"There's a lot of opportunities for people," he said.

The change at Barberton is being made in part because the community need for labor and delivery services continues to decline as Ohio's population ages, Deveny said.

Baby deliveries are declining

"This year we've seen a decline in deliveries," Deveny said.

So far there have been 359 babies born in Barberton in 2022, according to Summa. There were 435 births in 2021, 376 in 2020, 578 in 2019, 620 in 2018 and 580 in 2017, Summa said.

Labor and delivery services typically lose money for health care systems, Deveny said. Consolidating Barberton's services into the new Akron campus (built in 2018) will not change the hospital system's expenses, he said.

"Our goal is not saving money, but where was the community need," Deveny said.

The decision to end birthing services at Barberton reflects a trend regionally and nationwide to shutter labor-and-delivery units and consolidate care.

Late last month, University Hospitals announced it is closing the maternity unit at UH Portage Medical Center in Ravenna and consolidating those services with a program at its Geauga County hospital.

The Ravenna labor and delivery unit, which is closing Nov. 12, was Portage County’s only hospital birthing center.

UH officials said a combination of staffing shortages and stress on local and national health care systems contributed to the decision to cease labor and delivery services at the Portage County location.

Barberton residents react to labor and delivery unit closure

Barberton Public Library director Ann Hutchison and Barberton Councilman Shaun "Rocky" Jaber both had the same initial reaction.

"It seems like a tremendous loss for the community," Hutchison said.

Hutchison said her youngest son was born at Summa Barberton and the library has given gift bags to new moms for more than a decade stressing the importance of reading.

"As librarians, we know the importance of reading to your children," she said. "The fact that we get [that information] into the hands of these moms is no small [feat]."

Jaber said the decision will affect longtime tradition in the city, where children, parents and grandparents have all been born at the hospital, previously known as Barberton Citizens Hospital.

"It's very sad we're losing that deptartment," he said. "It's sad for the people who do want to keep their tradition going."

Councilwoman Tayler Thompson called the decision unfortunate in a texted response.

"All of my children were born there and the nurses and other staff members are amazing," she said. "I worry about their jobs and what is going to happen to them."

Barberton mayor says hospital 'key to our community'

Barberton Mayor William Judge said he was familiar with the situation, but hadn't reviewed the public release.

"Obviously, as mayor and as a resident of Barberton, we would like our hospital to thrive," the mayor said Tuesday. "It is very key to our community for services [and] economically, as well. I also understand the changes that corporations and nonprofits have to make."

The mayor said he and Summa's leadership team work well together, and the Barberton campus will continue to provide a wide range of important medical services.

"We may lose a service, but the cancer service they have going on their is unique to Baberton," the mayor said.

The campus also has a robust heart and orthopedic services that continue, he said.

"As you see one department consolidate, you see other ones grow," he said.

The mayor said the Barberton campus has significance for the city as an employer and source of city revenue.

"I support them, but as mayor, we also look at what services are being provided and what income taxes..." he said. "It's a real gem, an asset to have in our community."

Barberton maternity services previously relocated, but temporarily

This is not the first time Barberton maternity services have been relocated by Summa.

In April 2020, the health system temporarily relocated labor and deliver from Barberton to Akron for COVID-19 pandemic-related reasons. Maternity services moved back to Barberton in June that same year. The temporary relocation was successful, Deveny said.

Births at Summa's Akron labor and delivery services wing, in the Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Tower, has grown 20% since it opened in 2018 in Akron City Hospital, Deveny said. Besides the state-of-the-art facilities, Summa also partners with Akron Children's Hospital, which has a team there, he said.

The vacated space on the Barberton campus could be filled by such things as thoracic services, lung services, bariatric programs or others, Deveny said.

"There's lots of things that will be evaluated and considered," he said.

Beacon Journal reporter Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Summa moving Barberton maternity services to Akron in November