Up-river birth services closing for months
Horizon Health announces labour, delivery at Waterville hospital from Nov. 17 to Jan. 31
Expectant mothers in the Upper Saint John River Valley area won’t be giving birth at the Waterville hospital in the coming months.
The Horizon Health Network issued a news release this week announcing that it’s closing labour and birth services at the Upper River Valley Hospital (UVRH) in Waterville, near Woodstock, beginning at midnight Sunday, Nov. 17 until Jan. 31.
It attributed the 2½-month closure to a staffing shortfall that precludes emergency caesarian sections (C-sections).
“All pregnant individuals who would normally deliver their babies at URVH will need to travel to Horizon’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (DECRH) in Fredericton,” the release said.
“Even if a pregnant individual feels they are low-risk and do not require a C-section, they must still travel to the DECRH for labour and birth, as pregnancy-related issues and emergency situations can quickly arise during childbirth.”
All women who are 35 weeks pregnant or more within the Waterville hospital’s service area have been contacted by nursing staff, Horizon said.
The obstetrical service at the Upper River Valley Hospital sees as many as 500 patients per year, the release said, and it saw 206 births and 40 emergency C-sections in 2023.
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