42 hospitals closing departments or ending services reported since Jan. 1

Becker’s reported 42 department closures or service changes announced, advanced or finalized since Jan. 1. The list included emergency departments, maternity units, pediatric services, rehabilitation programs and other care lines. The source excerpt provided here contained details for the first 29 items, while the remaining entries were not included in the material supplied.

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

In Columbus, Ohio, Mount Carmel Health System plans to close its freestanding Mount Carmel Franklin Emergency Department on Aug. 22. Two days later, on Aug. 24, the system plans to open Mount Carmel Franklinton Care Center, a community-centered primary and prevention care hub in Columbus.

MU Health Care, based in Columbia, Mo., is closing four Hy-Vee Quick Care locations on Aug. 1 as part of an organization redesign aimed at improving long-term financial sustainability. The system said demand for quick care has declined as patient needs have evolved, while demand for urgent care and primary care has increased.

OhioHealth plans to end inpatient maternity unit services on July 31 at OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital in Delaware, Ohio. The decision came after 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 Newark, Del.-based system said the move 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 told Becker’s that financial challenges, staffing shortages and the significant capital needs of the aging building contributed to the decision.

Intermountain Health, based in Salt Lake City, is closing several clinics and restructuring select services in Colorado and Montana. The changes will affect 93 caregiver roles, including leadership and staff positions, and are scheduled to take effect July 24. The system said affected employees may apply for other positions 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 Aspirus Health shifts resources to other areas of care. The Wausau, Wis.-based system said the decision reflects a rapidly changing operating environment and increasing pressure to allocate resources strategically.

Rochester Regional Health said May 13 it planned 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 cited declining birth rates nationally and locally, along with persistent workforce challenges.

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

Bakersfield Memorial Hospital closed the Grossman Burn Center on 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, based in Oklahoma City, said April 16 it was preparing to scale back or eliminate select service lines within its medical group as it anticipated Medicaid and Medicare funding cuts. The system said the changes could include reduced physician staffing in some service lines and full closure of others over the next three to six months.

Greenwood, Miss.-based Leflore Hospital is laying off 86 employees, 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. Patients are now receiving care in inpatient rooms. The system said the closure was tied to financial pressure from Medicaid reimbursement cuts.

Unity Health in Searcy, Ark., permanently closed the emergency department and medical unit at its acute care hospital in Jacksonville, Ark., on April 15. The closure came just three years after the hospital opened in March 2023. Unity Health plans to convert the facility into a freestanding psychiatric hospital.

Merrimack Health plans to end maternity and neonatal services at Methuen Hospital in Methuen, Mass., and consolidate them at 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 attributed to several factors, including low utilization, staffing challenges and the location’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 will affect 40 employees and followed an analysis of the program’s long-term operational sustainability amid rising specialized care costs.

Piedmont Medical Center in Fort Mill, S.C., said it plans to realign services across its two hospital campuses. Obstetrics, labor and delivery and neonatal services will move under Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill on May 12, while Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill will expand trauma, surgical, neurosurgery and cardiovascular care services.

Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital, part of Vandalia Health, ended obstetrics delivery services May 1. The Weston, W.Va.-based hospital said it faced challenges recruiting full-time clinical staff and noted 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 cited an inability to sustain demand, as well as higher costs, staffing shortages and reimbursement that does not fully cover care costs.

Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital in California no longer admits patients to its inpatient pediatric unit as of March 27. Providence previously said 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 was needed to adapt to ongoing financial pressures.

Adventist HealthCare closed its Germantown Emergency Center in Germantown, Md., 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 plans to close its Children’s Place childcare centers and Fun & Fit programs at two Oklahoma City hospitals in August because of financial losses. The closures affect Integris Health Baptist Medical Center and Integris Health Southwest Medical Center. The system said the facilities had been losing more than $1 million per year.

Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, N.H., is planning to end outpatient behavioral health services by the end of March. The hospital said it will continue offering urgent mental health services through its emergency department. The New Hampshire Justice Department said it received no advance notice of the proposal and is reviewing it.

Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Ohio, will close an ambulatory surgery center and sleep medicine services this spring as it carries out cost-reduction strategies ahead of its planned acquisition by OhioHealth. The hospital said it will close River View Surgery Center and its Fairfield Healthcare Professionals Sleep Medicine office this spring. Its sleep lab closed Feb. 27, and the changes also led to limited staff reductions across several departments.

The source excerpt ended there, so details on the remaining 13 closures referenced in Becker’s headline were not included in the material provided.