Johnson Memorial Hospital Seeking To End Labor And Delivery Services

STAFFORD, CT — Johnson Memorial Hospital parent company Trinity Heath of New England is seeking to discontinue the Labor and Delivery Unit at JMH in Stafford.

The Wednesday announcement also included a proposal to drop the Surgical Services, Intensive Care Unit and the Medical/Surgical Unit at JMH.

The intent is "to transform JMH's hospital-based services to meet the current and future needs of the local community more effectively, given the unprecedented changes and disruptions experienced in the health care industry nationally and locally. These changes will allow JMH to continue providing exceptional patient care, delivered with highest quality, and in a manner that honors the commitment to steward hospital resources," according to a letter to sate officials.

If the plan to discontinue the JMH birthing unit is approved, moms will be able to deliver at Saint Francis Hospital, according to officials. Wednesday's announcement follows one in December, that indicated Trinity didn’t have plans to permanently close the unit and hoped to hire enough staff to return labor and delivery services to JMH.

That has since changed, officials said in the announcement.

The JMH emergency department "will remain prepared to care for all maternity patients." Trinity officials said the company has attempted to recruit more staff to "safely" re-open the services.

In the application notice, a Trinity officials said the decision, "has been difficult and the subject of a thorough discernment process."

The official added, "Redesigning care delivery through transformation remains a top priority, as it will allow Johnson Memorial Hospital to reach new levels of patient-centered care and service excellence, while continuing our longstanding commitment to the local community."

According to officials, a second Certificate of Need application is anticipated for JMH and St. Francis to consolidate operations under a single general license "as part of the transformation of the hospital-based services." The proposed "successor hospital" would "operate and function as one acute care general hospital" with two campuses at the existing locations in Hartford and Stafford.