Oregon Public Broadcasting

Prineville’s Pioneer Memorial Hospital announced Wednesday it would close its birthing center and obstetrics program.

Central Oregon correspondent Ethan Lindsey reports.

It’s not that no more babies will be born in Crook County.

Don Wee: “Mother nature does her own thing every once in while. Obviously, if someone walks into the emergency room and needs help, obviously they’ll be given the help they need.”

But Pioneer Memorial Hospital chief executive Don Wee says the hospital will no longer be providing on-going obstetric services.

Last year 137 babies were delivered at Prineville’s only hospital.

But with just 10 physicians – and only 4 working with pregnant women, Wee says the balancing act just got to be too difficult.

Don Wee: “It’s not an easy decision by any means. It just falls into that whole genre of ‘difficult issues that rural health care has in terms of finding physicians and keeping different practices going.’”   

The hospital will close its three birthing beds by the end of the year. Pioneer Memorial’s parent company operates hospitals in Bend and Redmond – where the new moms are expected to go.