CALDWELL, Idaho — West Valley Medical Center will close its labor and delivery, and NICU units in Caldwell.
- This decision will have an impact on expecting mothers in Caldwell.
- Patients will have to find a new place for care.
- The units are scheduled to close on April 1st.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"My first thought hearing about West Valley closing was, 'Wow here's one more unit that's not going to be providing care in our area,'" said Dr. Megan Kasper, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist who joined Saltzer Health in 2015.
West Valley Medical Center has decided to close its labor and delivery, and NICU units in Caldwell.
"Historically, many of our clients that we serve have delivered their babies at West Valley Medical Center and have received their prenatal and postpartum care from those providers," said Brooke Hansen, a registered nurse at Southwest District Health in Caldwell.
It's a decision that will have a big impact on expecting mothers in Canyon County.
"West Valley closing their labor and delivery unit is going to be an interesting problem for Caldwell. There are other places for women to go but West Valley has been a well-positioned hospital for the community for decades," said Dr. Kasper.
Reaching out to get the hospital's reasoning as to why they chose to close those units, West Valley tells me the decision was made after seeing a decline in the number of births and challenges in securing consistent coverage.
"If patients don't have that close-by access for emergencies I think that's going to be a big anxiety point for patients," said Dr. Kasper.
As the second fastest-growing county in the state, a lack of labor and delivery services in Canyon County will be a growing problem as well.
"This is where young families are moving. It's a little bit more affordable. And they're growing their families," said Dr. Kasper.
The units are scheduled to close at the beginning of April. In the meantime, it'll be up to patients to find a new place for care.
"To expecting moms who maybe plan to deliver at West Valley or receive care I would say just know there are several resources in the community to help support you," said Hansen.