BY RUTH EPSTEIN Republican-American - October 2, 2022 0 84

SHARON — Nuvance Health officials said they are prepared to handle emergency labor cases once the maternity wing at Sharon Hospital closes.

This was disputed by obstetrician Howard Mortman during a Friday, Sept. 23 community roundtable about the proposal to shutter the unit.

In an interview Friday, hospital President Christina McCulloch reiterated the hospital will handle maternity patients in distress once the unit is gone.

“I understand there is a lot of emotion surrounding this issue,” she said. “Since the beginning, the physicians’ leadership group has been involved in our plan.”

She said there are measures in place for safe care of deliveries at other Nuvance-owned hospitals, as well as those close by, including Fairview in Great Barrington, Mass., and Charlotte Hungerford in Torrington. She said most deliveries are planned events, but there are times when imminent deliveries or emergencies occur.

“When there are emergencies, we have a full team in the emergency department,” McCulloch said. “This has been well planned, and obstetrics and gynecology are included in those plans. I know this is challenging to accept, but we knew we had to come up with a plan for the hospital’s long-term sustainability.”

She said there is a map that shows where maternity patients live and nearly 50% who choose to deliver at Sharon actually reside in towns closer to other hospitals.

Nuvance has said the labor and delivery department is losing a lot money and that births are down. In order to ensure the hospital’s long-term survival, the cut is necessary.

But during the community roundtable, Mortman said the numbers of births are close to 220 annually. He also doesn’t think the emergency room staff is equipped to address certain complicated cases and stated he thought the proposed arrangement could result in deaths of mothers and babies.

The application to close the maternity wing must receive a Certificate of Need from the state’s Office of Health Strategy (OHS). A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18, at which Nuvance will plead its case and the public will have the opportunity to express its views. Written testimony will be accepted as well.

Nuvance also is working on an application to submit to OHS that would allow for merging inpatient departments into one progressive-care unit. At the September roundtable, Dr. David Kurish, a longtime internist at Sharon, expressed concerns about that move, fearful that properly trained staff won’t be available.

“This is more a reorganization of patient services,” McCulloch said. “The majority of patients will be cared for here when the units merge. There will be efficient, modern care with the same staff we have.”

Kurish had said many of the intensive care nurses had already left as a result of the proposed changes, but McCulloch said she wasn’t aware that was the cause of departures.

“It’s very competitive out there. We’ll have a fully staffed ICU when we merge.”

That application is still under review and Nuvance will be answering questions before an OHS hearing is scheduled.

Nuvance calls the changes its transformation plan. Kurish said when it was first introduced to the medical staff, there was a 25 to 1 negative vote.

Save Sharon Hospital, a grassroots effort to stop the plan to close the maternity wing, is actively pursuing support. Member Nick Moore said at the roundtable that when Nuvance bought the hospital two and half years ago, officials said it would not make any changes for five years.

A rally on Sharon town Green is scheduled for Oct. 16.