Birthing services to end at Medford Oct. 1

There will be no more scheduled hospital births in Medford after October 1.

On Wednesday, Aspirus announced a new service delivery model that will transition maternal care services for this area from Medford to Aspirus Wausau Hospital Birthing Center.

“Aspirus is committed to the Medford area and surrounding community, and we believe this transition will help us provide the right mix of services to meet changing local needs,” said Dale Hustedt, President, Northwest Wis. Division, Aspirus Health. “Our region’s needs are dynamic, and we will continue to transform so we can advance our mission to heal people, promote health and strengthen communities for generations to come.”

One of the factors that led to this decision is the fact that physician supply for Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) continues to be a challenge. Despite aggressive recruiting by Aspirus Health for years, the OB/GYN pipeline continues to shrink, particularly those interested in rural practice.

According to the American Medical Association, The United States is projected to experience a shortage of 5,000 OB/GYN’s by 2030. This is expected to cause already overworked doctors to further struggle to meet demand and continue widening maternal and infant health disparities. An aging workforce, aging population, and high rates of burnout are also contributing to the shortage.

“Aspirus Medford has been operating with only one part-time OB/GYN physician since November of 2020 which results in challenges providing coverage for on call services 24/7/365,” said Hustedt. “We are not alone in this decision as across the country, rural providers have made similar changes with less than 40% of rural hospitals performing routine deliveries. In Wisconsin, we have seen deliveries ceased at more than a dozen hospitals.”

A multidisciplinary team is currently working on all aspects of the transition and patients will continue to receive excellent prenatal and postnatal care in Medford and an excellent delivery experience at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. There, patients will have access to high-level specialized care, should they experience complications.

“Aspirus Medford Hospital has been able to offer an impressive birthing center for our patients and we will ensure that our emergency departments and facilities are prepared to address labor and delivery issues that may occur following the transition of services,” said Hustedt.

“We will continue to offer excellent prenatal and postnatal care for moms but believe in the future the best decision is to leverage the full strength of our health care system to ensure reliable labor and delivery services.”