A years-long fight to restore labor and delivery services at Windham Hospital appears to be over.
The state has officially given the hospital the green light to permanently end those services. But the bargain calls for the hospital to provide other programs to support women.
Now that Windham Hospital has officially been given the OK from the state to end labor and delivery services, people will have to potentially travel even further to give birth.
“That’s awful because there is no help for anybody around here as far as that goes,” Shelley Dennis, of Columbia, said.
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In an agreement with state Office of Health Strategy, Windham Hospital will keep prenatal and postpartum services.
“I will say we are very focused in this settlement on making sure that access to reproductive health services in that community remains,” Dr. Deidre Gifford, Office of Health Strategy executive director, said.
Windham will also help with transportation to other hospitals and will start a study about opening a birth center, which is a facility for low-risk pregnancies.
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Advocates had been pushing for years for the hospital to resume labor and delivery.
“Somewhat disappointed but there was some gain in terms of they are talking about a birthing unit for this area,” Brenda Buchbinder, of Willimantic, said.
Advocates say the hospital had actually stopped the services three years ago without state permission. Then the hospital filed a plan to permanently shutter the services.
Previously, the hospital argued it needed to close the unit amid staffing challenges with fewer babies being delivered there.
It says the settlement “underscores our commitment to a safe childbirth experience.”
“I think that ultimately it will be a very positive step. I think getting to that step there'll be a lot of things that we have to watch very carefully,” Rep. Susan Johnson (D – Windham) said.
Last year, the Health Strategy Office had proposed to deny the shutdown, but Windham challenged it and that led to the agreement reached on Friday.
