Milford Hospital Plans to End Obstetrical Services

After more than 90 years of compassionate childbirth care at Milford Hospital, the Board of Directors has voted unanimously to make the difficult choice to end obstetrical services, hospital officials announced via a prepared statement.

The declining birth rate at the hospital along with continued economic and regulatory challenges that affect Milford Hospital as well as all hospitals across the country has led to this difficult decision, officials announced Friday.

In 2012, Milford Hospital recruited four highly-credentialed obstetricians and invested significant resources in bolstering OB services.

This costly effort was unable to reverse the trend of declining birth rates, low utilization and changes in payer mix. The expense associated with maintaining the service resulted in losses of approximately $2.4 million annually, officials said in a prepared statement.

Maternity cases at Milford Hospital have declined by 75% from 2010 to 2014.

Faced with similar projections for 2015, all available resources must be directed toward the future viability of the hospital, officials said.

The regulatory process to terminate a hospital service can take several months. In addition to informing local and state officials, Milford Hospital leadership will meet with physicians, staff and other community organizations to ensure that the transition is seamless for its patients.

“We know that our staff and our community have strong emotional ties to the Milford Hospital Family Childbirth Center” said Milford Hospital President and CEO, Joseph Pelaccia in a prepared statement. “Several generations of families, including my own, have had their babies born here. While this is a difficult decision we remain proud of the excellent patient care and service our OB Department nurses and staff have provided to thousands of families for the past 90 years.”