Mercy Health Fairfield to stop delivering babies in centralization move

Pregnant patients with a due date after May 1 will no longer be able to deliver their baby at Mercy Health – Fairfield Hospital.

Bon Secours Mercy Health is shutting down its birthing center at Fairfield to consolidate labor and delivery services at Anderson Hospital and West Hospital.

The hospital system declined to provide figures on how many staff were affected by the closure of Fairfield’s birthing center, which in 2021 employed more than 90 people.

“All impacted associates will be offered a new position within our ministry,” the hospital system, which is Catholic, said in a public statement.

The hospital system's public statement said the decision was based on national and regional evaluations of women’s health services. However, when asked for documentation, the hospital declined to provide it, citing “proprietary information.”

“Our internal task force conducted all evaluations,” said Lisa Dyson, a spokesperson for the hospital. “Based on market conditions, this strategic decision was made to ensure continued access to high-quality care for our current and future patients without a rising cost.”

The decision was made despite a Bon Secours Mercy Health report from 2023 that identified Black women in Fairfield’s service area as a population that had high infant mortality rates and needed better access to services.

Fairfield Hospital first opened its birthing center in 1996. At least 40,000 babies have been delivered there since then, according to reporting from the Journal-News.

Farther birthing hospitals riskier for pregnant patients, Black women

Longer distances to a delivery hospital are associated with a higher risk of negative maternal outcomes and neonatal intensive care unit admissions, according to a 2022 study of Pennsylvania deliveries. Additionally, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that transportation access and closures of obstetric units present major obstacles for Black women who need prenatal care.

The Enquirer asked Bon Secours Mercy Health about the effect that moving labor and delivery services out of Fairfield may have on expectant Black mothers in the area.

“We remain guided by our mission – to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of our communities and bringing good help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying and underserved,” Dyson responded in an email. “Our new centralized women’s services model continues our ability to provide access to equity-centered maternity care.”

West Hospital expected to see increase in births

Dyson also explained that Anderson Hospital and West Hospital have capacity for additional deliveries, “with West Hospital situated in an area that will see the most future demand for labor and delivery services.”

West Hospital also serves Black women facing infant mortality and racial disparities, as indicated by the 2023 report. The hospital's Zip code area has a Black population of 37%, higher than Fairfield’s 17%, according to U.S. Census data from 2018 to 2022. Anderson Hospital, located in Anderson Township, has a Black population of about 4% within its Zip code. West Hospital is closer to Fairfield, with the shortest route being about 13 miles, compared to the Anderson Township-based hospital’s distance of at least 29 miles.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mercy Health Fairfield consolidates labor and delivery services