Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle Urge Samaritan Health to Keep Full Labor and Delivery Services for Oregonians
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, alongside U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04), are calling on Samaritan Health Services to maintain rural and coastal Oregonians’ full access to labor and delivery services.
Amidst internal discussions by the Samaritan Health Service’s board, the lawmakers sent a letter to new President and CEO Marty Cahill, expressing concerns over Samaritan’s reported plan to close its labor and delivery unit in Lincoln City and consolidate those services in Newport, as well as close its labor and delivery unit in Lebanon and consolidate those services in Albany.
“We have heard from concerned doctors and nurses that this decision would have devastating effects on the health and safety of expectant mothers, newborns, and families,” cautioned the lawmakers.
The units in Lincoln City and Lebanon serve a wide geographic area, and closures would force patients to travel dangerously long distances—in some cases, more than an hour—to receive both routine and emergency obstetric care. This decision would create a maternity care desert for rural North Lincoln County, while also putting an undue burden on many families that could cause them to bypass necessary medical care.
While the lawmakers deeply understand the numerous economic challenges facing rural labor and delivery units across Oregon—including low volumes of births, workforce shortages, and challenging reimbursement rates—they’ve also seen the negative impacts labor and delivery unit closures have on Oregon’s mothers and families. Together, they are calling for Samaritan Health to pursue innovative approaches and use a thoughtful, community-driven process to preserve access to all maternal health care services.
“Physicians, nurses, and other clinicians who provide obstetric services should be part of the process and help develop recommendations that will keep birthing services open while addressing the tough financial environment for Oregon hospitals. This could include collaborating with nearby hospitals and deploying telehealth models to expand the capacity of the obstetrics workforce,” continued the lawmakers.
As Samaritan Health’s leaders continue to navigate a path forward, Merkley, Wyden, and Hoyle will keep advocating for them to engage in a transparent process with the community they serve before making any changes to the maternal health care services they provide for the community.
“We urge you to pursue all resources available to you to keep the labor and delivery units open in Lincoln City and Lebanon,” the lawmakers closed.
Full text of the letter can be found by clicking HERE.
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