Birthing unit at Medina Hospital to close
Patients will have to leave county to deliver
Evelyn Mae Denton, of Seville, was one of several babies born at Medina Hospital during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2015 championship run. Medina Hospital will no longer have a birthing unit after July 1. File photo by KEVIN MCMANUS
MEDINA – Women who want to deliver their children at a Medina County hospital will no longer be able to after Medina Hospital, part of the Cleveland Clinic system, announced March 16 to both caregivers and the public the hospital will be closing its birthing unit July 1.
In a statement, Medina Hospital President Dr. Tom Tulisiak said the Cleveland Clinic wants to centralize deliveries at hospitals with neonatal intensive care units.
“Cleveland Clinic is serving the healthcare needs of northeast Ohio by concentrating labor and delivery services at its hub hospitals – Fairview, Hillcrest and Akron General,” Tulisiak said. “Focusing services allows us to provide the highest level of care for mothers and babies; and having the highest level NICU in close proximity is an advantage for families. As part of that plan, beginning July 1, Medina Hospital will transition the delivery of newborns to those hospitals, specifically Fairview and Akron General.”
In an interview, Tulisiak said the number of births at Medina General has declined over the last few years from around 1,100 several years ago to 800 last year.
Around 65 percent of expectant mothers choose to deliver outside the county due to other hospitals like Fairview having better facilities for critical patients, he said. Currently, premature babies or those experiencing distress under delivery are transferred to Akron General or Fairview.
Fairview Hospital, on Cleveland’s southwest side, is 26 miles from Medina Hospital, Akron General Hospital is 21 miles and Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights is 40 miles away.
Another option for interested parents is Southwest General Hospital in Middleburg Heights about 20 miles from Medina General off of Interstate 71; however, that is part of the University Hospitals chain, which has different doctors.
Tulisiak said more obstetricians will be coming to Medina General to see patients pre- and post-delivery. Recently, the hospital added services for gynecological oncology and on April 1, a doctor specializing in urogyneocology and reconstructive surgery will start seeing patients at Medina General.
The hospital is currently exploring how the space housing the birthing unit will be used; Tulisiak said the facilities were last renovated several years ago.
He said this closure is not a sign the hospital will lose other services; he added the amount of surgeries at the hospital has gone up 35 percent in recent years and 70 percent of county residents utilize the hospital for general medical care.
“Our hospital is extremely successful,” Tulisiak said.
Some projects in the works include a $5.8 million renovation and expansion of the emergency room to be completed in 2018 and a $1.3 million renovation of the intensive care unit.
The birthing center currently employs 41; a Clinic spokesperson said these employees will be able to transfer to another position within the system if they wish as there are many open positions available.
City resident Kris Gambaccini, who is expecting her eighth child in late July, was scheduled to deliver at Medina Hospital and said she is sad to not be going there again. She delivered her last three children there in 2010, 2012 and 2016 and had great experiences there due to the caring nurses and sense of community there.
“The fact that the nurses and staff were your neighbors, your fellow PTO moms, your church members, it gave a sense of comfort and security,” Gambaccini said. “All the nurses I had in my three times delivering at Medina were exceptional. They all went above and beyond for their patients. They felt more like a close friend or family member by the time our stay was over. I can’t believe the hospital doesn’t recognize their importance in our community. It really is heartbreaking.”
Medina General was the only facility in the county with a birthing unit after Wadsworth-Rittman closed its unit in 2009. In 2014, that hospital’s inpatient unit was shut down completely. The fate of this is still pending in court after the Wadsworth-Rittman Area Joint Hospital District Board, which leased the hospital to Summa, sued the hospital chain in common pleas court.
Supporters of the birthing unit have created a petition on Change.org asking the Cleveland Clinic to reconsider its decision; it can be found by typing in “Cleveland Clinic” on the search bar.
In a statement, Medina Hospital President Dr. Tom Tulisiak said the Cleveland Clinic wants to centralize deliveries at hospitals with neonatal intensive care units.
“Cleveland Clinic is serving the healthcare needs of northeast Ohio by concentrating labor and delivery services at its hub hospitals – Fairview, Hillcrest and Akron General,” Tulisiak said. “Focusing services allows us to provide the highest level of care for mothers and babies; and having the highest level NICU in close proximity is an advantage for families. As part of that plan, beginning July 1, Medina Hospital will transition the delivery of newborns to those hospitals, specifically Fairview and Akron General.”
In an interview, Tulisiak said the number of births at Medina General has declined over the last few years from around 1,100 several years ago to 800 last year.
Around 65 percent of expectant mothers choose to deliver outside the county due to other hospitals like Fairview having better facilities for critical patients, he said. Currently, premature babies or those experiencing distress under delivery are transferred to Akron General or Fairview.
Fairview Hospital, on Cleveland’s southwest side, is 26 miles from Medina Hospital, Akron General Hospital is 21 miles and Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights is 40 miles away.
Another option for interested parents is Southwest General Hospital in Middleburg Heights about 20 miles from Medina General off of Interstate 71; however, that is part of the University Hospitals chain, which has different doctors.
Tulisiak said more obstetricians will be coming to Medina General to see patients pre- and post-delivery. Recently, the hospital added services for gynecological oncology and on April 1, a doctor specializing in urogyneocology and reconstructive surgery will start seeing patients at Medina General.
The hospital is currently exploring how the space housing the birthing unit will be used; Tulisiak said the facilities were last renovated several years ago.
He said this closure is not a sign the hospital will lose other services; he added the amount of surgeries at the hospital has gone up 35 percent in recent years and 70 percent of county residents utilize the hospital for general medical care.
“Our hospital is extremely successful,” Tulisiak said.
Some projects in the works include a $5.8 million renovation and expansion of the emergency room to be completed in 2018 and a $1.3 million renovation of the intensive care unit.
The birthing center currently employs 41; a Clinic spokesperson said these employees will be able to transfer to another position within the system if they wish as there are many open positions available.
City resident Kris Gambaccini, who is expecting her eighth child in late July, was scheduled to deliver at Medina Hospital and said she is sad to not be going there again. She delivered her last three children there in 2010, 2012 and 2016 and had great experiences there due to the caring nurses and sense of community there.
“The fact that the nurses and staff were your neighbors, your fellow PTO moms, your church members, it gave a sense of comfort and security,” Gambaccini said. “All the nurses I had in my three times delivering at Medina were exceptional. They all went above and beyond for their patients. They felt more like a close friend or family member by the time our stay was over. I can’t believe the hospital doesn’t recognize their importance in our community. It really is heartbreaking.”
Medina General was the only facility in the county with a birthing unit after Wadsworth-Rittman closed its unit in 2009. In 2014, that hospital’s inpatient unit was shut down completely. The fate of this is still pending in court after the Wadsworth-Rittman Area Joint Hospital District Board, which leased the hospital to Summa, sued the hospital chain in common pleas court.
Supporters of the birthing unit have created a petition on Change.org asking the Cleveland Clinic to reconsider its decision; it can be found by typing in “Cleveland Clinic” on the search bar.