Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, Calif., part of Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare, is ending maternal-child health services Oct. 25.
However, the hospital's emergency department will remain available to care for mothers in labor, Prime spokesperson Elizabeth Nikels told Becker's.
Centinela announced July 25 that maternal health services would end and that it would redirect resources based on community need. The decision came as the hospital faced scrutiny over the death of a patient earlier this year.
"The demand for maternal health services at our hospital is not what it once was, and this leads us to focus on growing other essential services based on community needs," the hospital said at the time.
Ms. Nikels said Prime and Centinela have completed communication requirements regarding the transition of maternal services, including referring patients to a neighboring Center of Excellence at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, Calif.
"This transfer of service allows Centinela to expand care with all of the beds converted to services of greater need and benefit, while still ensuring patients have access to high-quality care, particularly in maternal-child services," she added.
Moving forward, the hospital indicated it would consider restoring maternal-child services if there was community need.