BELFAST — The number of births taking place at Waldo County General Hospital has continued to decline in recent years, which combined with a very tight labor market, has created ongoing challenges that have prompted a review of the obstetrics program there.

“We have asked a team of our provider and nursing leaders from WCGH to look at how we might redesign our labor and delivery services to ensure we are providing the very best possible care to expectant mothers and their babies,” said Denise Needham, president of WCGH and Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, in a news release. “This redesign is not complete, and we will be working diligently to complete it in coming weeks.”

“Needham shared that the review is taking place in an email to the Pen Bay and WCGH care team earlier today (June 14), saying that she wanted to be transparent even though the process of reviewing the obstetrics program at WCGH is not complete” said WCGH, in the news release. “She said the review is being taken very seriously, and it is important to assess the sustainability of the service to ensure the highest possible standard of care.”

At WCGH there have been 60 births since the start of fiscal year on Oct. 1 through April 30, with the projected total for the 2024 fiscal year being 112. That’s down 19.4 percent from fiscal 2019. This past October there were just four births at the hospital. Volumes below 200 annually are considered very low by national standards.

Additionally, the ongoing shortage of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals across the health care sector, especially in rural areas, has put added pressure on the existing labor and delivery team at WGCH as they struggle to maintain 24/7 coverage for the program.

“Maintaining safety and quality for inpatient labor and delivery requires a well-staffed, highly experienced team ranging from pediatricians, obstetricians, certified nurse midwives, anesthesiologists, labor and delivery nurses and a full complement of operating room personnel. Although to date we have maintained a great safety record, the combination of decreasing numbers of deliveries with staffing stretched thin could prove challenging for the program,” said Dr. Robert Grondahl, who leads obstetrics at WCGH.

Hospital officials believe that, with the median age in Waldo County being 47, the low volume of births at the hospital has to do, in part, with demographics, with few women of childbearing age living within WCGH’s service area, but it also appears more women are choosing to give birth at other nearby hospitals, according to WCGH.

Conversely, those demographics have prompted the hospital to add and grow services used more often by patients over 50. For instance, WGCH has expanded its cardiology and oncology offerings over the past two years.

“We are committed to meeting the community’s needs by investing in the care that will best meet the needs of our population,” said Needham. “In the case of obstetrics, we are committed to providing robust prenatal and post-natal care, but we also need to examine the entire scope of the program.”

Needham said the plan is to work with other area hospitals, including and especially Pen Bay, as well as other stakeholders to identify the best options to meet the needs of the residents of Waldo County, adding that WCGH will keep the community informed of its progress.

“We know how important it is to the community that we support expectant mothers and babies with the best possible care,” added Needham. “And we want to be transparent about the challenges we face and the need to be thoughtful about our care model given current trends.”

About Waldo County General Hospital

Waldo County General Hospital is a 2017 Becker’s Hospital Review Critical Access Hospital to Know that operates as a family of services with Waldo County Medical Partners and Penobscot Shores Retirement Community. WCGH is committed to providing excellent care for patients and their families in a friendly, caring atmosphere. Services are provided as efficiently as possible with an eye on the future and in collaboration with other community-minded agencies. Waldo County General Hospital is part of the Coastal Healthcare Alliance with Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport and is a part of the MaineHealth system.

About MaineHealth

MaineHealth is a not-for-profit integrated health system whose vision is, “Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.” It consists of eight local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 2,000 employed and independent physicians working together through the MaineHealth Medical Group. With approximately 23,000 employees, MaineHealth provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. It includes Franklin Memorial Hospital/Franklin Community Health Network in Farmington, LincolnHealth in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, Maine Behavioral Healthcare in South Portland, MaineHealth Care at Home in Saco, Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., Mid Coast-Parkview Health in Brunswick, NorDx in Scarborough, Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital in Rockport and Belfast, Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook and Stephens Memorial Hospital/Western Maine Health Care in Norway. MaineHealth Affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner with the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.