Springfield, Mass.-based Mercy Medical Center will temporarily pause maternity and newborn care services Dec. 8, a spokesperson confirmed to Becker’s.
The pause is due to ongoing staffing shortages at the hospital’s Family Life Center, according to a Nov. 6 statement from Mercy Medical Center.
“We have made this difficult decision due to significant provider and nurse staffing constraints that have persisted over several months despite concerted efforts to recruit and retain [Family Life Center] clinical colleagues,” the hospital said.
During the pause, nurse midwives will work with physicians to provide prenatal and postnatal care at Mercy Medical Center’s outpatient locations. The hospital is working with other affected employees to connect them with open positions throughout the system.
Patients requiring hospital-level care will be redirected to Springfield-based Baystate Medical Center through a cooperative agreement with Baystate Health.
“At the same time, we will continue to pursue all options to resume continuous, safe, high-quality maternity care at Mercy Medical Center,” the hospital said.
Mercy Medical Center is part of Trinity Health of New England, a regional system of Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health.
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