Why is Astria Health closing the Family Maternity Center at Astria Toppenish Hospital?
There are several factors why Astria Health is closing the Family Maternity Center at Astria Toppenish Hospital, including:
How many deliveries did Astria Toppenish Hospital perform in 2022?
In 2022, we performed less than 400 deliveries at the Family Maternity Center in Toppenish, an unsustainable amount to retain our services. Over the past five years, we’ve experienced a 50% decrease in deliveries.
Where will patients go to deliver their babies and receive gynecological care?
Patients will work with their OB/GYNs and nurse midwives to decide where they will deliver their babies. In the Yakima Valley, they can deliver at Astria Sunnyside Hospital or Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. Astria Sunnyside Hospital is 17.6 miles away (25 min. commute) from Astria Toppenish Hospital, and Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital is 22.8 miles away (32 min. commute) from Astria Toppenish Hospital. Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital does have a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which is where we’ve transferred patients and their babies who’ve needed that service.
We will continue to support patients pre- and post-delivery through our physicians and clinics. Dr. Miguel Brizuela and Dr. Robert Wells are highly skilled OB/GYNs and provide a full spectrum of obstetrics and gynecological services.
Laboratory and ultrasound services will continue to be available to pregnant individuals at Astria Toppenish Hospital.
We have state-of-the-art gynecological surgical services with the DaVinci Xi® robot at Astria Sunnyside Hospital.
What will you do if a patient in active labor comes to the hospital in Toppenish? We have established protocols if a patient in active labor comes to Astria Toppenish Hospital. If that situation occurs, we follow the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) which “requires emergency departments to stabilize and treat all persons regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.”
If there is no time to stabilize and transfer the patient before delivery, we will deliver the baby in the emergency room. After delivery, we will stablize the patient and the baby, and they will be transferred to another hospital by ambulance.
Astria Toppenish Hospital Family Maternity Center Closure Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - cont.
Will people lose their jobs? If so, how many people will lose their jobs? We’re working with our staff members affected by this decision to transition to different areas within Astria Health. If obstetrics staff choose to leave, we will work with them to find opportunities outside our organization that best suits their employment needs.
This is an ongoing situation; therefore, we do not have a specific number associated with employees leaving Astria Health.
What services will be available at Astria Toppenish Hospital without Labor & Delivery? We will continue providing several inpatient and outpatient services, including the following services:
Is Astria Toppenish Hospital going to close?
No. The health of our patients and their loved ones remain our priority. We strive to serve our patients in a safe, secure, and sustainable way. We’re making the difficult decision of closing the Family Maternity Center now to build and maintain existing programs to continue to care for our patients.
How will this impact the Yakama Nation, Toppenish residents and the Toppenish community?
We’ve provided labor and delivery services at Astria Toppenish Hospital for decades, and we’ve loved serving patients, babies and families throughout the Toppenish community. Ensuring labor and delivery hospital services in the lower Yakima Valley is a priority for Astria Health. Toppenish patients needing obstetrics, gynecological and maternity services will need to work with their healthcare providers, OB/GYNs and Nurse Midwives to determine where they will deliver their babies and receive OB/GYN surgical services, as they have always done.
Starting Saturday, January 14, at midnight, the services will no longer be able at Toppenish Hospital. Obstetrics patients will continue to be served by us and our community partners, including – Astria Sunnyside Hospital Family Birth Center and Yakima Memorial Hospital’s Labor & Delivery Unit.
Posted December 14, 2022