Cape Cod Healthcare Defends Closing Maternity Ward In Falmouth

FALMOUTH, MA — Cape Cod Healthcare announced plans to permanently close the maternity and pediatric wards at Falmouth Hospital. After a hearing last month, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health deemed the hospital units necessary for preserving access to health services for expectant mothers and infants, but hospital officials defended the decision in a new plan submitted the department.

The Falmouth Hospital Association, a part of the Cape Cod Healthcare network, submitted a plan on June 18 and argued there will be no negative impact from closing the wards.

"Services at Cape Cod Hospital meet or exceed those which are available at the (Falmouth) Hospital, both before the proposed closure and otherwise," the plan read.

Nurses and residents argued closing the facility reduces access for expectant mothers, putting them and their children in danger. But attorney Andrew Levine, representing Cape Cod Healthcare, said there are plenty of other sites including Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth and Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, the Cape Cod Times reported. Levine also said in 2018, 140 Barnstable County expectant mothers chose to go to Boston area hospital instead.

But doctors and nurses argued closing the units and forcing expectant mothers on the upper Cape to travel could be dangerous for patients and their newborn children.

Betina Smith, a nurse at Falmouth Hospital, said a couple weeks before the closing announcement, a woman 34 weeks pregnant came into Falmouth Hospital's emergency room in the middle of the night with a prolapsed umbilical cord. Nurses and doctors performed and emergency cesarean section, and the mother delivered a healthy baby.

"If she tried to travel to Cape Cod Hospital, her baby probably would have died," Smith said during last month's public hearing.

Others, including Jessica Labert of Falmouth, argued summer traffic can make a drive from Falmouth to Hyannis more than an hour.

"[Traffic] can double or quadruple your time of the ability to get through [to the hospital]," Lambert said. "Short of a helicopter ride, I'm not sure how people would be able to transport themselves during that timeline."

"Every minute counts," added Donna Kelly-Williams, the president of the Massachusetts Nursing Association. "This decision will add dangerous minutes to an expectant mother's ability to access care when it matters most. This is a dangerous decision that could jeopardize the health and safety of families in your community."

Officials with Cape Cod Healthcare estimated during peak traffic time, it takes about 53 minutes to get to Cape Cod Hospital from Falmouth. They also said any pregnant patient in labor that arrives at Falmouth Hospital will have their baby delivered by trained emergency staff. After the delivery, the patient will be assessed and taken to another hospital.

The Department of Public Health has 10 days to approve Cape Cod Healthcare's plan or give comments the health care network must address.