Gov. Maura Healey ordered a statewide review of maternal health Friday as UMass Memorial Health will close a birthing center in Leominster, effective midnight on Saturday, Sept. 23.
UMass Memorial Health said they will not delay the closure of the unit because of unsafe staffing shortages, despite calls from city and state leaders.
Now, the state Department of Public Health will conduct a review over the next two months of prenatal, postpartum and birthing services across the state with a focus on health equity. They will also conduct a review specific to northern Worcester County and create a plan to improve access to proper maternal health care.
“It’s something that we are currently evaluating and assessing right now,” Healey said at an unrelated event Thursday. “I'm very concerned about ensuring that people in that region and all over Massachusetts have access to the health care that they need especially when it comes to maternal health. I have charged my Health and Human Services Department with ensuring that people across the region and across the state have access to the care they need including maternal health.”
Healey said it's challenging with the state of hospital finances but said she's paying close attention to the situation.
The hospital system has previously said they will not succumb to public pressure and the doors will close regardless.
Umass Memorial said patients can continue to receive maternity inpatient care at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester - which is about 25 miles away.