Inland Empire Hospital Announces Plans to Close Labor and Delivery Department

Hemet Global Medical Center has just announced plans to completely close its labor and delivery department in just over two months.

The decision, made after hospital officials considered a number of factors, will impact 35 people who are at risk of losing their jobs due to the closure.

“I’ve been here for 44 years, I’ve dedicated my whole career to working here and this breaks my heart,” said Ginny Packham, a labor and delivery nurse at the hospital.

She is concerned about low-income women in the community, who will now lose their easy access to maternity care.

“The women we see here are often underserved,” Packham said. “They don’t get prenatal care.”

She was one of several nurses outside the hospital who spoke with KCAL News about the decision Monday. They all shared the same sentiment.

“I’m especially concerned about the low-income community that we have here,” said Andrea Lunetta, another nurse. “They come here right when they’re giving birth and those pregnancies can be very high-risk.”

Although there are three other hospitals within a 20-mile radius, the drive typically takes about 45 minutes, which in some cases may be too late.

San Jacinto Councilmember Brian Hawkins believes the necessary changes can be made before the department closes.

“I don’t think it’s too late because they haven’t closed it yet,” he said.

The hospital claims that the decision was made because of the low number of births and the lack of doctors, which the nurses acknowledge to be true. They say that at the beginning, the department had seven doctors. Today, there is only one doctor who works at the hospital two days a week.

Despite this, they still believe the hospital should remain open for every mother and baby who still needs care.

“If a mother doesn’t have access to health care here, nearby, and transportation keeps her from going to Loma Linda, that baby is going to be born, it’s going to be born somewhere,” Councilman Hawkins said. “It could be born in an alley somewhere, or it could be born in a dumpster.”

A hospital spokesperson released a statement at the request of KCAL News.

“Due to continued low volume and lack of physician coverage, Hemet Global Medical Center has submitted a formal request to the California Department of Public Health for approval of a one-year temporary suspension of its labor and delivery unit,” the statement said. “All labor and delivery unit employees are being offered the opportunity to transfer to open positions at Hemet Global Medical Center and Menifee Global Medical Center. The emergency department remains open and fully accessible for emergency deliveries.”