The following is an excerpt from Becker's Healthcare Review.
Several hospitals are scaling back services for a variety of reasons, including financial challenges and staffing issues.
1. Cleveland-based University Hospitals is scaling back care at two hospitals and consolidating services. The health system announced July 14 that it is ending inpatient, surgical and emergency services at UH Bedford (Ohio) Medical Center and UH Richmond Medical Center in Richmond Heights, Ohio, on Aug. 12. The health system attributed the changes to a staffing shortage.
2. Hazel Crest, Ill.-based Advocate South Suburban Hospital is ended labor and delivery services on Aug. 1. The hospital cited a decline in births as the reason for the change in obstetric services, with a 40 percent decrease since 2015.
3. Davis Regional Medical Center in Statesville, N.C., plans to eliminate most patient services by the end of the year as it transitions to a specialty hospital focused on inpatient behavioral healthcare.
4. Williamston, N.C.-based Martin General Hospital closed its intensive care unit on Aug. 1. The hospital said nursing staff shortages are the primary reason for the closure.
5. McLaren St. Luke's Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, is ending labor and delivery services. The hospital will end labor and delivery services between Aug. 31 and Sept. 30.
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I am not quite sure what we are supposed to be outraged about or what the implied solution is supposed to be.
All private institutions, whether for-profit, or held for the public benefit, are going to be subject to market forces. If you are in an area with declining population or with changing demand for certain services, you are going to have to change your products and services to accommodate those changes.
If all large medical institutions were government owned, command-economy style entities you could have hospitals providing maternity services whether or not they are needed, or providing medical services on paper, despite not having the staff to provide them, but we do not do that in the US, because it is economically nonsensical.
It is sad that over time some communities grow while others lose vitality and .that young families move to some places and largely avoid others. However, such shifts have been occurring since before the US was even the US.
My first Grandson was born there in 2000.
They are looking as financial issues and will group
all 'women's health' into one dept.
This is what happens when you fire all the un-injected RNs like me, and reduce births with a sterilizing new technology. As side long term side effects increase, this will only get worse.
These Hospital killed all there repeat customers.