Are you a mom-to-be? This South Florida hospital will soon shut down its maternity ward
More than 60 people, including 53 registered nurses, will lose their jobs at Hialeah Hospital when the hospital’s maternity ward shuts down in April, according to a letter sent to the city and state.
Last month, the hospital, owned by Tenet Healthcare, sent a letter under the federal Worker Adjustment Retraining Notifcation (WARN) Act to Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez, Commissioner Rene Garcia and the state’s Employment Administration explaining the closure. The law requires companies with more than 100 employees to give employees, the city and state a 60-day notice.
“The closure of the Maternity Services Unit at Hialeah Hospital is intended to be permanent,” Michael Bell, chief operating officer, said in the letter. In addition to the 53 nurses, others who will lose their job include a director of nursing, one nursing manager, four assistant nursing managers, one unit secretary, one distribution tech and one OB triage tech.
A hospital spokeswoman said the services will be consolidated and offered at North Shore Medical Center and Palmetto General Hospital, which Tenet also owns. Those hospitals are less than 10 miles away from Hialeah Hospital, the hospital said.
Tenet said moms will have “access to a broader range of specialized services” including a Level III NICU at North Shore Medical Center near Miami Shores, and a Level II NICU at Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah.
“We are grateful to the obstetrics department staff and physicians for their continued commitment to provide our patients with outstanding care,” the hospital said in a statement. “Their professionalism and skill has helped create cherished memories for countless families over the years.”
The hospital will continue to offer gynecological care and related surgical services such as a hysterectomy and other laparoscopic and minimally invasive procedures. It will also provide women’s imaging including mammography and bone density testing.
“We also are refining our service lines to meet community need,” the hospital said in a statement. “Hialeah Hospital will continue focusing on needed services such as senior care, minimally invasive surgery, diagnostics, outpatient rehab, spine and orthopedics.”
COVID-19 has taken a toll on hospitals, with higher costs from treating COVID patients and reduced revenues from canceling elective surgeries to care for the influx of patients.
Another possible reason: The birth rate in Miami-Dade has been declining over the last decade, as it has statewide. In 2019, the health department calculated a Miami-Dade birth rate of 10.7% or 30,258 live births for that year. That’s down from a Miami-Dade birth rate of 13% or 32,341 live births in 2009.
Miami Herald staff writer Daniel Chang contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 9:17 PM.
