Troy, Ohio-based Upper Valley Medical Center will discontinue its labor and delivery unit Feb. 29 because of physician recruitment issues and a declining birth rate, CBS affiliate WHIO reported Jan. 9.
UVMC, part of Dayton, Ohio-based Premier Health, said physician recruitment challenges resulted in unsustainable expenses. Additionally, the number of births at the center was half of what it was a decade ago.
Premier's Piqua, Ohio-based women's center will continue providing prenatal and postnatal care.
Other hospitals have faced similar issues. Last year, Springfield, Mo.-based CoxHealth shuttered its labor and delivery unit at Cox (Mo.) Monett Hospital, citing difficulties recruiting obstetricians and family practice physicians.