Following the recent departure of two Certified Nurse Midwives, LMH Health recently made the decision to discontinue its midwifery program. We are grateful for the feedback shared by employees and community members as we contemplated all options leading up to this change, and we know much of this support has stemmed from the positive experiences our nurse midwives have provided over the years. While we regret to see our midwives moving on to new positions, this transition provides an important opportunity to re-examine our hospital’s role in this realm of healthcare.  

As a self-sustaining, charitable care hospital that receives no city or county funding, we must make tough choices about where to invest limited resources. A physician-led obstetric and gynecology (OB/GYN) program is crucial to the communities we serve. OB-GYN physicians provide care throughout pregnancy, childbirth, surgical care and all stages of women’s health. For this reason, we must focus on hiring and retaining physicians who can provide this full spectrum of care within the hospital setting.  

We recognize that patients choose different routes when it comes to childbirth, and it’s important to note that all our OB/GYN physicians provide epidural-free, natural approaches to labor and delivery. Every day, LMH Health patients choose to experience natural childbirth with no interventions, including those who see our OB/GYNs. Our physicians respect each patient’s goals, preferences and choices throughout the childbirth experience. When complications arise, they have expertise necessary to intervene without having to transition care to another individual on staff.  

While decisions like this are never easy, we are confident in our approach. By focusing limited recruitment resources on additional OB-GYN physicians, we can strengthen the sustainability of our maternity program. This ensures that women and families will continue to have local access to comprehensive maternity care for years to come.