Lawmakers pen letter pushing Samaritan Health to save rural Oregon maternity services

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon lawmakers are pushing back on the potential closure of two birth centers in rural parts of the state.

In a letter sent on Wednesday, Oregon’s Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Val Hoyle urged Samaritan Health Services’ new President and CEO Marty Cahill to save maternity services at its Lebanon and Lincoln City hospitals.

While a spokesperson said the healthcare system’s board of directors has yet to make a decision on whether the birth centers will close, members of the Oregon Nurses Association have revealed the facilities are on the chopping block.

KOIN 6 previously reported that expecting patients at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital would be left with the company’s only other Linn County maternity center in Albany, and Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital would have to travel almost 30 miles to its nearest hospital in Newport.

This would lead to a “maternity care desert” for these communities, according to the recent letter from Oregon legislators.

“We are aware of the economic challenges that are squeezing the finances of labor and delivery units across Oregon,” Merkley, Wyden and Hoyle wrote. “Low volumes of births, workforce shortages, and challenging reimbursement rates make it difficult for rural hospitals to continue offering birthing services. However, we have also seen the negative impacts of labor and delivery unit closures on Oregon mothers and families. It will require innovative approaches, community engagement, and a commitment from Samaritan Health to preserve access to safe maternal health care.”

Similarly, Legacy Health shuttered its Mt. Hood Medical Center in mid-March 2023 — but the Oregon Health Authority rejected the company’s request to close the Gresham facility almost two weeks later.

The state agency argued that Legacy’s plans to divert patients to Randall Children’s Hospital, nearly 17 miles away, failed to sufficiently meet the needs of its patients and their community. The birth center reopened that June.

Oregon legislators and nurses are now pushing Samaritan Health to pursue other solutions for its maternity services.