A number of healthcare organizations have recently closed medical departments or ended services at facilities to shore up finances, focus on more in-demand services or address staffing shortages.
Here are 45 department closures or services that are ending or have been announced, advanced or finalized that Becker’s reported since Jan. 1:
1. Ogdensburg, N.Y.-based North Star Health Alliance said it plans to submit a closure plan to the New York State Department of Health for the sleep center at Carthage (N.Y.) Area Hospital, and primary care and physical therapy services at Philadelphia (N.Y.) Health Center. A public hearing regarding the closures will be held July 28. North Star sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February and has been working to stabilize and restructure the system. It shared plans in late June to close its North Country Orthopaedic Ambulatory Surgery Center and its North Country Orthopaedic Group, both in Watertown, N.Y. The health system also shared plans in mid-July to close labor and delivery services at its Claxton-Hepburn Medical Campus in Ogdensburg and transition obstetrical services within the Claxton-Hepburn Women’s Health Clinic.
2. CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs in Iowa will end labor and delivery and level 2 NICU services Aug. 31. Omaha, Neb.-based CHI Health cited challenges around provider availability and specialized clinical coverage as factors in the decision, calling them issues hospitals and health systems across Iowa and the country are facing. The system said it is working directly with every expectant mother to help ensure a smooth transition.
3. Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare’s Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Ill., filed an application with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board to permanently close its inpatient pediatric unit amid low volumes. The hospital is proposing to permanently discontinue its 13 pediatric beds upon board approval or by Dec. 31, according to the June 29 application.
4. Brattleboro (Vt.) Memorial Hospital’s board of directors approved a plan to close its obstetric service line, which includes the BMH Birthing Center, in the next six to nine months. The hospital pointed to challenges like the cost of delivering maternity care outpacing reimbursement and national birth rate declines for its decision. The hospital plans to maintain comprehensive gynecological services, and is working to develop a plan to ensure they remain sustainable and local regardless of the obstetric services outcome.
5. Columbus, Ohio-based Mount Carmel Health System will close its freestanding Mount Carmel Franklin Emergency Department, also in Columbus, Aug. 22. Following the closure, the system will open a community-centered primary and prevention care hub, Mount Carmel Franklinton Care Center, Aug. 24 in Columbus.
6. Columbia, Mo.-based MU Health Care is closing its four Hy-Vee Quick Care locations on Aug. 1 as it implements an organization redesign aimed at strengthening its long-term financial sustainability. The system said evolving patient care needs have led to declining demand for quick care services, while urgent care and primary care service demand has grown.
7. Columbus-based OhioHealth plans to end inpatient maternity unit services July 31 at OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital in Delaware, Ohio. The system said the decision comes after a review of the inpatient maternity program by a team that included specialty physicians.
8. Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare closed the Family Birth Center at its Union Hospital in Elkton, Md., effective June 30, after months of close market assessment and industry analysis that pointed to an aging community.
9. Springville, N.Y.-based Bertrand Chaffee Hospital is planning to close its nursing home facility. A combination of financial challenges, staffing shortages and the significant capital needs of the aging physical plant contributed to the decision, a hospital spokesperson told Becker’s June 3.
10. Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health is closing several clinics and restructuring select services in Colorado and Montana, changes that will affect 93 caregiver roles, including leadership and staff positions. The changes are scheduled to take effect July 24. Intermountain said affected employees may apply for other positions within the organization and will receive transition support, career assistance, severance pay where applicable and benefits guidance.
11. Aspirus St. Luke’s in Duluth, Minn., is closing its home health services division as the health system shifts resources to other areas of care. Wausau, Wis.-based Aspirus Health said the decision was made in response to a rapidly changing operating environment and increasing pressure to allocate resources strategically.
12. Rochester (N.Y.) Regional Health shared plans May 13 to end inpatient labor and delivery, newborn nursery and postpartum services at its Newark-Wayne Community Hospital in Newark in late summer to early fall, pending New York State Department of Health approval. The 120-bed hospital pointed to a national and local birth rate decline, including persistent workforce challenges.
13. Mobile, Ala.-based USA Health shared plans to close the labor and delivery unit at its Providence Hospital, also in Mobile, after the planned closure of Mobile OB-GYN, P.C., a non-USA Health private practice that has operated since 1953 and served as the primary provider of obstetric care at the hospital.
14. Bakersfield (Calif.) Memorial Hospital closed the Grossman Burn Center June 30 due to “evolving community needs. The closure includes a 7-bed inpatient burn unit and an outpatient burn clinic.
15. Oklahoma City-based Integris Health said April 16 it is preparing to scale back or eliminate select service lines within its medical group as it braces for anticipated Medicaid and Medicare funding cuts. The adjustments include reducing physician staffing in some service lines and fully closing others, with changes expected to occur over the next three to six months.
16. Greenwood (Miss.) Leflore Hospital is laying off 86 employees — about 17% of its workforce — and eliminating several service lines as it prepares for a potential closure or acquisition by a larger health system. Services being eliminated as part of the restructuring include its outpatient rehab center, cardiac rehab, after-hours clinic and wellness center.
17. Winchester, Va.-based Valley Health closed its observation unit at Winchester Medical Center, the system’s flagship hospital, on July 1, with patients instead receiving care in inpatient rooms. The planned closure comes amid financial pressure tied to Medicaid reimbursement cuts.
18. Searcy, Ark.-based Unity Health on April 15 permanently closed the emergency department and medical unit at its acute care hospital in Jacksonville, Ark. The closure comes just three years after the hospital opened in March 2023. Unity Health plans to convert the facility into a freestanding psychiatric hospital.
19. Lawrence, Mass.-based Merrimack Health plans to end maternity and neonatal services at its Methuen (Mass.) Hospital and consolidate them to its Lawrence Hospital, effective Aug. 1, pending state approval. The health system cited declining birth rates and concerns about maintaining care quality at low-volume facilities
20. Albuquerque, N.M.-based Lovelace Health System’s Lovelace Medical Group closed its urgent care location in Taos, N.M. The closure was related to multiple factors, including low utilization, staffing challenges and its distance from core services.
21. Little Rock, Ark.-based Baptist Health discontinued labor and delivery and obstetrics services April 28 at its Baptist Health-Fort Smith campus. The decision, which will impact 40 employees, followed an analysis of the program’s long-term operational sustainability amid ongoing challenges, including increased specialized care costs.
22. Fort Mill, S.C.-based Piedmont Medical Center shared plans to realign services across its two hospital campuses. Obstetrics, labor and delivery and neonatal services will come under Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, effective May 12, while Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill (S.C.) will expand trauma, surgical, neurosurgery and cardiovascular care services.
23. Weston, W. Va.-based Mon Health Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital, part of Charleston, W.Va.-based Vandalia Health, ended obstetrics delivery services May 1. The hospital cited challenges to recruit full-time clinical staff and declining birth rates in the region.
24. MercyOne Clinton (Iowa) Medical Center transitioned labor and delivery services to other Iowa-based MercyOne birth centers in Davenport, Dubuque and Silvis. May 26 was the last day for scheduled deliveries at the hospital. The facility pointed to an inability to sustain demand for labor and delivery services, along with national challenges like increased costs, staffing shortages and reimbursement that does not fully cover care costs.
25. As of March 27, Providence Santa Rosa (Calif.) Memorial Hospital will no longer admit patients to its inpatient pediatric unit. Santa Rosa Memorial, part of Renton, Wash.-based Providence, said in October it would close the eight-bed unit and repurpose it for adult inpatient care, citing low patient volumes and financial challenges.
26. Bradford (Pa.) Regional Medical Center, part of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Kaleida Health, submitted a closure notice to discontinue its inpatient and emergency services by May 17 amid ongoing financial challenges.
27. Jersey City, N.J.-based Hudson Regional Health suspended emergency department operations March 14 at Heights University Hospital, also in Jersey City, and is moving forward with a certificate of need for closure after sunsetting its other services in mid-November 2025.
28. Silverdale, Wash.-based St. Michael Medical Center closed its pediatric outpatient rehabilitation clinic April 24. The decision to close the clinic — which offered occupational and physical therapy — was determined through a “thoughtful discernment process” that determined the closure is necessary to adapt to ongoing financial pressures.
29. Gaithersburg, Md.-based Adventist HealthCare closed its Germantown (Md.) Emergency Center July 1, pending state approvals. The decision is based on declining volume at the facility, which opened in 2006 and is one of Maryland’s seven freestanding emergency rooms.
30. Oklahoma City-based Integris Health will close its Children’s Place childcare centers and Fun & Fit programs at two hospitals in August due to financial losses. The closures affect Integris Health Baptist Medical Center and Integris Health Southwest Medical Center, both located in Oklahoma City. The health system said it has evaluated several options to keep the facilities open, but they have been losing more than $1 million per year.
31. Manchester, N.H.-based Catholic Medical Center is planning to end outpatient behavioral health services by the end of March. The hospital, owned by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, will continue offering urgent mental health services through its emergency department. The New Hampshire Justice Department said it “received no advance notice” of the proposal and is reviewing the proposed action and has a pending inquiry to HCA requesting information about impacted patients.
32. Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Ohio, will close an ambulatory surgery center and sleep medicine services this spring as it implements cost-reduction strategies ahead of its planned acquisition by Columbus-based OhioHealth. The 222-bed hospital said it will close River View Surgery Center and its Fairfield Healthcare Professionals Sleep Medicine office this spring. Its sleep lab closed Feb. 27. The changes also resulted in “limited staff reductions” across several departments.
33. Minot, N.D.-based Trinity Health is suspending home health and outpatient hospice services. The system said the decision was made after careful consideration and a thorough review of its current operations. Employees affected by the change will have opportunities to transition into open positions across other departments within the system.
34. Stanford, Ky.-based Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital relocated its inpatient labor and delivery services Feb. 16 to Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville, Ky. The hospitals are part of the Danville-based Ephraim McDowell Health system and are a 15-minute drive from each other, the health system said.
35. Baltimore-based LifeBridge Health will shutter its Ellicott City (Md.) Ambulatory Surgery Center due to low procedure volumes. The freestanding ASC’s closure will affect 23 employees and take effect between March 7 and April 6.
36. Franklin, Ind.-based Johnson Memorial Health said it plans to phase out obstetrics services and the maternity care center on its Franklin campus. It will also take added steps to cut costs, which includes employee reductions. JMH cited decreasing federal and state insurance reimbursement rates, and coverage and rising service costs. The process to phase out the maternity care center is expected to take multiple months.
37. Providence Mission Hospital Laguna Beach (Calif.) began a multiyear planning process to phase out acute care and emergency services. The hospital attributed its decision to low inpatient demand and the high cost of renovations needed for the facility, which was built in 1959. On average, 80% of the hospital’s 159 licensed beds are unused each day.
38. Driggs, Idaho-based Teton Valley Health Care will close its infusion clinic amid financial pressures. While a closure date has not been set for the infusion clinic, it will shutter once existing medication supplies have been depleted. The system also laid off 26 employees, or around 10% of its 276-person workforce, on Jan. 22 and 23.
39. Sweetwater (Tenn.) Hospital Association closed its labor and delivery department on Feb. 28. The hospital cited ongoing challenges such as maintaining specialty provider coverage and financial constraints including declining patient volumes, reimbursement rates and rising operational costs.
30. Des Moines, Iowa-based MercyOne closed its MercyOne Ottumwa (Iowa) Family and Internal Medicine location on Feb. 27. MercyOne Ottumwa comprises seven family medicine providers. The health system’s human resources team is working with impacted employees on next steps, including applying for open positions.
41. Grand Island, Neb.-based CHI Health St. Francis closed its skilled nursing facility March 10. Steve Schieber, president of CHI Health St. Francis, said the decision “reflects broader changes in how skilled nursing care is delivered and the increasing shift away from hospital-based skilled nursing services across the country.”
42. Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center in Fort Madison, operated by West Burlington, Iowa-based Great River Health, will end inpatient labor and delivery services by the end of 2026. The move is part of the system’s transition to a hub-and-spoke maternal care model, which Great River Health is already using at Henry County Health Center in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. The approach consolidates labor and delivery care at a central site, with pre- and postnatal services offered locally in outpatient settings.
43. Ouachita County Medical Center in Camden, Ark., closed its labor and delivery unit on Jan. 9. CEO Glenda Harper said they “do so few deliveries, and with the cut in reimbursement, it’s just not feasible” to keep the unit open.
44. Lewiston-based Central Maine Healthcare closed its Gray (Maine) Family Health Center on March 6. The system acknowledged that the closure might be “unexpected” and assured patients that it is dedicated to supporting them through the transition. The practice comprises three family medicine providers.
45. Warren (Pa.) General Hospital discontinued inpatient labor and delivery services, citing a national OB-GYN shortage and a sudden change in physician availability.
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