PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners is urging Legacy Health to reconsider closing the Mt. Hood Medical Center’s Family Birth Center.
The closure means that expecting mothers will have to travel to Portland to receive care. However, many people over the last couple of weeks have told KOIN 6 News that women who live in Gresham, East Multnomah County and as far out as Rhodendron worry that in an emergency, Portland is too far of a drive to get the care they need — which could put the baby and mother at serious risk.
Legacy says financial issues, staffing shortages and fewer relative births are the reasons behind their decision.
Read the Board’s full statement below.
“The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners urges Legacy Health to reconsider closing the Mt. Hood Medical Center’s Family Birth Center (FBC). As the Board of Health and as a safety net service provider for our communities, Multnomah County recognizes the service gap this creates for some of our highest-risk communities.
The FBC currently provides women’s healthcare, prenatal care, and delivery and postpartum care in East Multnomah County. This closure will leave pregnant people without nearby access to a safe location to give birth. While Legacy has offered the continuation of other women’s health services at the Mt. Hood Medical Center, there will no longer be support for deliveries, leaving those in labor to travel to the closest hospital available — either Portland Adventist or Legacy Emanuel, each 20 to 40 minutes away.
High-risk pregnancies and low birth weight are major concerns for communities of color and low-income communities, all of which exist in higher concentrations in East Multnomah County. There are many factors that contribute to these issues, including social determinants of health,
access to healthcare, and maternal health disparities. Some people may be able to drive or be driven to another hospital, while others will require EMS transport. The EMS system in East Multnomah County is already overburdened and short-staffed, with long wait times. Neither of these proposed solutions is workable in a high-risk delivery situation that could lead to the tragic loss of life to both a mother and a child.
Access to healthcare is critical to ensure healthy pregnancies and births. However, communities of color and low-income communities often face barriers to accessing quality healthcare, including lack of insurance coverage, transportation barriers, and discrimination within the healthcare system. These barriers can make it difficult for women in these communities to receive timely and appropriate prenatal care and to access necessary interventions to prevent or manage complications during pregnancy. Closing the FBC only serves to exacerbate this problem for some of our region’s most vulnerable residents.
While we understand that the medical field is dealing with increased costs and staffing issues, we request that Legacy reconsider its decision to close the FBC. We urge Legacy Health not to limit access to reproductive healthcare in East Multnomah County — a community that has a greater number of low-income and marginalized residents compared to other parts of Multnomah County where services abound.
All of our residents need and deserve accessible healthcare and that includes access to all forms of reproductive health services. We implore you to continue to serve a part of the County that has the greatest need for your services.”