Why are OB-GYN practices closing at 'alarming rates' in Delaware?
Delaware is facing a growing shortage of OB-GYN providers, with several practices closing or no longer accepting new patients.
In the past six months, five OB-GYN practices in Delaware or nearby Maryland have closed or stopped providing obstetrics services, and others have announced plans to close later this year. The instability in reproductive health care comes as many are grappling with the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Reporter Emily Lytle wrote about how the national shortage of reproductive health care is impacting the First State and what Delaware patients can do to find a doctor.
Many medical fields, including primary care, dental and anesthesiology, are also struggling with rising costs and low staffing right now, but midwives and OB-GYNs have said that the need is especially urgent in reproductive care when patients and physicians are often operating on a strict nine-month (or less) timeline.
These practitioners also recognize that there is not one factor driving these closures in obstetrics and gynecology. While the reasoning – ranging from high operating costs and liability insurance to burnout and recruitment challenges – can seem convoluted and without an easy solution, one thing is certain: the impact of this loss in reproductive care is becoming widespread.
We recently reported that TidalHealth, a Salisbury, Maryland-based hospital system, lost most of its OB-GYN physicians when it merged with Seaford's Nanticoke Memorial Hospital.
Read the full story: OB-GYN practices are closing at 'alarming rates' in Delaware. What that means for patients
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware OB-GYNs are becoming scarce. How it affects patients.
