Lima, Ohio-based Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center launched an obstetrical emergency department.
The new OBED will handle all pregnancy-related complaints for women who are at or over 20 weeks of gestation, according to a Nov. 5 system news release. It will be staffed by on-site hospitalist services focused exclusively on obstetrical patients and led by Abeer Ahmed, MD.
“This change ensures pregnant patients receive timely, focused care from providers who specialize in obstetrics,” Lisa Shafer, MSN, nursing manager for St. Rita’s labor and delivery unit, said in the release. “It’s about improving continuity of care and enhancing the overall patient experience.”
The hospital already offers private labor and delivery suites, 24-hour obstetric anesthesia, in-house obstetric coverage, lactation consulting services and a level 2 special care nursery, the release said.
The new OBED comes amid a slew of maternal health service closures around the country.
A Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform report found that less than 42% of U.S. rural hospitals still offer labor and delivery services. That same report found more than 100 rural hospitals have halted or plan to stop delivering babies since 2020.
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