44 hospitals closing departments or ending services

A number of healthcare organizations have recently closed medical departments or ended services as they try to improve finances, focus on higher-demand care or respond to staffing shortages. In this source snapshot, Becker’s listed 29 of the 44 changes it reported since Jan. 1; the remaining items were not included in the provided text.

Prime Healthcare’s Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Ill., filed an application with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board to permanently close its inpatient pediatric unit because of low volumes. The hospital said it is proposing to discontinue its 13 pediatric beds permanently once the board approves the request, or by Dec. 31.

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Vermont approved a plan to close its obstetric service line, including the BMH Birthing Center, within the next six to nine months. The hospital cited the rising cost of maternity care, reimbursement that has not kept pace, and national birth rate declines. It said comprehensive gynecological services will remain, and it is working on a plan to keep those services sustainable and local regardless of the obstetrics decision.

North Star Health Alliance in Ogdensburg, N.Y., said June 24 that it plans to close its North Country Orthopaedic Ambulatory Surgery Center and North Country Orthopaedic Group in Watertown, N.Y., within 30 to 90 days. The move is part of restructuring and operational stabilization efforts and affects orthopedic, endocrinology and physical therapy services. North Star sought bankruptcy protection in February.

Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus will close its freestanding Mount Carmel Franklin Emergency Department on Aug. 22. Two days later, the system plans to open Mount Carmel Franklinton Care Center, a community-centered primary and prevention care hub, also in Columbus.

MU Health Care in Columbia, Mo., is closing its four Hy-Vee Quick Care locations on Aug. 1 as part of an organization redesign intended to strengthen long-term financial sustainability. The system said patient care needs have shifted, with demand for quick care declining while urgent care and primary care have grown.

OhioHealth plans to end inpatient maternity unit services July 31 at OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital in Delaware, Ohio. The decision followed a review of the inpatient maternity program by a team that included specialty physicians.

ChristianaCare closed the Family Birth Center at Union Hospital in Elkton, Md., effective June 30. The system said the decision followed months of market assessment and industry analysis that pointed to an aging community.

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital in Springville, N.Y., is planning to close its nursing home facility. A hospital spokesperson said financial challenges, staffing shortages and major capital needs tied to the aging physical plant contributed to the decision.

Intermountain Health is closing several clinics and restructuring select services in Colorado and Montana, affecting 93 caregiver roles, including leadership and staff positions. The changes are scheduled to take effect July 24. Intermountain said impacted employees may apply for other positions within the organization and will receive transition support, career assistance, severance pay where applicable and benefits guidance.

Aspirus St. Luke’s in Duluth, Minn., is closing its home health services division as the health system shifts resources to other areas of care. Aspirus Health said the decision reflects a rapidly changing operating environment and growing pressure to allocate resources strategically.

Rochester Regional Health said May 13 that it plans to end inpatient labor and delivery, newborn nursery and postpartum services at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital in Newark, N.Y., in late summer to early fall, pending state approval. The 120-bed hospital pointed to national and local birth rate declines and persistent workforce challenges.

USA Health plans to close the labor and delivery unit at Providence Hospital in Mobile, Ala., after the planned closure of Mobile OB-GYN, P.C., a private practice that has served as the primary provider of obstetric care there since 1953.

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital closed the Grossman Burn Center June 30 because of what it described as evolving community needs. The closure included a seven-bed inpatient burn unit and an outpatient burn clinic.

Integris Health said April 16 that it is preparing to scale back or eliminate select service lines within its medical group as it braces for anticipated Medicaid and Medicare funding cuts. The changes include reducing physician staffing in some service lines and fully closing others over the next three to six months.

Leflore Hospital in Greenwood, Miss., is laying off 86 employees, or about 17% of its workforce, and eliminating several service lines as it prepares for a possible closure or acquisition by a larger health system. The services being eliminated include its outpatient rehab center, cardiac rehab, after-hours clinic and wellness center.

Valley Health closed its observation unit at Winchester Medical Center in Winchester, Va., on July 1, with patients instead receiving care in inpatient rooms. The closure comes amid financial pressure linked to Medicaid reimbursement cuts.

Unity Health permanently closed the emergency department and medical unit at its acute care hospital in Jacksonville, Ark., on April 15, three years after the hospital opened in March 2023. The facility is planned to be converted into a freestanding psychiatric hospital.

Merrimack Health plans to end maternity and neonatal services at Methuen Hospital in Methuen, Mass., and consolidate them at its Lawrence Hospital, effective Aug. 1, pending state approval. The system cited declining birth rates and concerns about maintaining care quality at low-volume facilities.

Lovelace Health System’s Lovelace Medical Group closed its urgent care location in Taos, N.M. The closure was tied to several factors, including low utilization, staffing challenges and the site’s distance from core services.

Baptist Health discontinued labor and delivery and obstetrics services April 28 at Baptist Health-Fort Smith in Arkansas. The decision affects 40 employees and followed an analysis of the program’s long-term operational sustainability amid higher specialized care costs.

Piedmont Medical Center is realigning services across its two hospital campuses. Obstetrics, labor and delivery and neonatal services moved under Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, effective May 12, while Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill in South Carolina is expanding trauma, surgical, neurosurgery and cardiovascular care services.

Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital, part of Vandalia Health, ended obstetrics delivery services May 1. The hospital cited difficulty recruiting full-time clinical staff and declining birth rates in the region.

MercyOne Clinton Medical Center in Iowa transitioned labor and delivery services to other MercyOne birth centers in Davenport, Dubuque and Silvis. May 26 was the last day for scheduled deliveries at the hospital. The facility said it could not sustain demand and cited broader pressures such as higher costs, staffing shortages and reimbursement that does not fully cover care costs.

Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital in California is no longer admitting patients to its inpatient pediatric unit as of March 27. Providence had said in October that it would close the eight-bed unit and repurpose it for adult inpatient care, citing low patient volumes and financial challenges.

Bradford Regional Medical Center in Pennsylvania, part of Kaleida Health, submitted a closure notice to discontinue inpatient and emergency services by May 17 amid ongoing financial challenges.

Hudson Regional Health suspended emergency department operations March 14 at Heights University Hospital in Jersey City, N.J., and is moving forward with a certificate of need for closure after sunsetting its other services in mid-November 2025.

St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale, Wash., closed its pediatric outpatient rehabilitation clinic April 24. The clinic offered occupational and physical therapy, and the hospital said the closure came after a thoughtful discernment process and was needed to adapt to ongoing financial pressures.

Adventist HealthCare closed its Germantown Emergency Center in Maryland on July 1, pending state approvals. The decision was based on declining volume at the facility, which opened in 2006 and is one of Maryland’s seven freestanding emergency rooms.

Integris Health will close its Children’s Place childcare centers and Fun & Fit programs at two hospitals in August because of financial losses. The closures affect Integris Health Baptist Medical Center and Integris Health Southwest Medical Center in Oklahoma City. The source text was truncated before further details were reported.