WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital to bring back birthing center next year
Expectant mothers in Fayette County will soon have the option to deliver their babies close to home when WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital reopens its labor and delivery unit early next year.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to once again provide a safe place for families to deliver their baby without needing to travel outside Fayette County,鈥� said Nancy Decker, chair of WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital蘑菇视频 board of directors.
The 13-bed maternity unit, where around 800 babies were born each year, closed in 2019 after the hospital蘑菇视频 partnership with Pittsburgh-based UPMC ended.
The decision comes as a welcome development for the community, looking to buck a trend across rural PA where earlier this year Elk County joined five other countries without a birthing hospital as reported by Spotlight PA.
Uniontown Hospital President and CEO Carrie Willetts said Wednesday that the announcement to reopen the birthing unit has sparked national attention, likely due to a trend of rural hospitals eliminating services such as maternity wards across the country.
鈥淭here蘑菇视频 a lot of excitement and it蘑菇视频 unique,鈥� Willetts said. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 unique that we鈥檙e actually reopening a labor and delivery unit.鈥�
Willets went on to cite a KFF Health News report that stated from 2010 to 2019 there were 114 rural hospitals in the U.S. that were either shut down or had eliminated inpatient services.
There has not been a set date for when the facility will open, but Willetts said the hospital is expecting it to be ready sometime in January. Currently, she said, the hospital is navigating through the licensure process and is in the process of hiring staff.
Dr. Lawrence Glad will serve as the medical director for the labor and delivery services. Glad has 30 years of experience in women蘑菇视频 health, obstetrics and gynecology.
The hospital will also be hosting an in-person job fair for the labor and delivery department on Thursday, Oct. 10 from noon to 6 p.m.
According to a news release put out by the hospital on Tuesday, the new center will feature 鈥渟tate-of-the-art equipment鈥� with five newly renovated labor, delivery, and recovery rooms. There will also be 11 postpartum rooms, and a new cesarian section suite.
Also planned is a three-bed neonatal intensive care unit for close monitoring of sick and premature newborns.
Willetts also said the hospital has received 鈥渟ubstantial grants鈥� from organizations such as the Appalachian Regional Commission, who early this year awarded a $750,000 grant for equipment, and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, who awarded a $70,000 grant to support a dedicated social worker for new mothers.