Waldo County's hospital in Belfast will no longer deliver babies.

According to a Nov. 7 news release from MaineHealth, the Portland-based parent nonprofit that owns MaineHealth Waldo Hospital (fomerly Waldo County Hospital), the last babies born in Belfast at the hospital will be just before the cutoff date of April 1, 2025.

"While not an easy decision, the hospital’s local board believes pregnant patients will have access to better, safer care if babies are delivered at larger, nearby hospitals," the release said.

MaineHealth is citing declining birthrates and a staffing shortage in announcing the board decision made Nov. 7.

Waldo, however, will continue to provide and expand pre- and post-natal care, partnering with MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital and other nearby hospitals for labor and delivery services. 

Maine Health said: "The decision comes following a months-long review of the obstetrics program by the hospital’s clinical and executive leadership that included extensive community outreach and input. A community forum hosted by MaineHealth Waldo Hospital in August was attended by more than 200 people, and hospital leaders also made presentations to the Belfast City Council. The hospital reached out proactively to dozens of community leaders and took in comments and suggestions over several weeks leading up to the forum."

“We know that many people in the community feel passionately that Waldo Hospital should maintain inpatient labor and delivery services despite the significant challenges associated with doing so,” said Syrena Gatewood, chair of the Local Board that oversees MaineHealth Waldo Hospital and MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport. “However, the facts are compelling. Our community will have access to more reliable, safer care for expectant mothers and their babies if we partner with Pen Bay to provide this service.” 

Denise Needham, current president of Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County Hospital, said: “One of the central issues is the consistently low birth volume at Waldo, which fell to just 109 deliveries in 2023, a 20.4 percent decline from 2019, despite a statewide increase in birth rates."

National standards consider birth volumes under 200 deliveries annually to be "very low," and that, in turn, raises concerns within the industry about maintaining skills and patient safety, said MaineHealth.

"Further complicating the situation is the ongoing difficulty in recruiting and retaining the necessary specialized staff," said MaineHealth.

"Across the industry, there is a severe shortage of healthcare workers of all kinds. The Cicero Institute reports that by 2030 there will be 120,000 fewer physicians than are needed across the country, and things aren’t much better on the nursing side. According to a Health Workforce Analysis published by the Health Resources and Services Administration in November 2022, federal authorities project a shortage of 78,610 full-time RNs in 2025 and a shortage of 63,720 full-time RNs in 2030." 

MaineHealth said it has aggressively recruited staff, offering higher pay for care team members and investments in clinical education programs.

"Nevertheless, these staffing challenges are particularly acute in rural settings, and MaineHealth Waldo Hospital has faced persistent shortages in pediatric providers, anesthesia coverage and nurses," MaineHealth said. "Recruitment efforts over the past three years have failed to fill key positions, making it increasingly difficult to offer safe, around-the-clock coverage​ for labor and delivery care at the hospital."

 Needham said: "While our care team remains committed to providing exceptional care, the challenges of maintaining inpatient labor and delivery services have become too great. Of particular concern is the burden for providers who must be on call frequently at a small hospital with persistent vacancies in key positions. For instance, Waldo has been unable for the past three years to recruit two full-time staff pediatricians willing to be on call, leaving hospital officials scrambling to provide appropriate coverage for babies born there.  

In turn, MaineHealth said the Waldo Hospital is expanding services to older people. That includes expanded cardiology and oncology services in Belfast.

Under the new obstetrics model, expectant mothers will receive their prenatal and postnatal care at MaineHealth Waldo Hospital, but they will be referred to MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital (PenBay Medical Center), 22 miles south to Rockport, for labor and delivery only.  

The proximity of other birthing centers, and the fact that the vast majority of pregnant patients in MaineHealth Waldo Hospital’s service area give birth at one of those nearby centers, was a significant consideration in the decision, MaineHealth said.

Pregnant patients in the service area might be closer to another hospital, or, in the case of a pregnancy with one or more complications, a patient may be directed to a larger birthing center, the nonprofit said.

"As a result, in 2022, just 27 percent of families expecting a child and living in the Waldo service area gave birth at MaineHealth Waldo Hospital," the release said. "An analysis of those giving birth at the hospital in 2021 showed that, on average, delivering at the next closest hospital would add 17 minutes to their trip to the hospital. Importantly, no one who gave birth at MaineHealth Waldo Hospital in 2021 would have had to drive more than 22 additional minutes to get to another hospital, and no one would have had a drive of more than 46 minutes total."

Needham said no care team members will lose their jobs because of the restructuring.

She said the hospital will work closely with staff members to help them transition to other departments within MaineHealth Waldo Hospital or, where appropriate, to MaineHealth Pen Bay’s labor and delivery unit.

Nurses interested in continuing their obstetrical practice will have the opportunity to support delivery services at MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital as well as expanded pre- and post-natal care at MaineHealth Waldo Hospital. 

Under the new structure, MaineHealth Waldo and MaineHealth Pen Bay hospitals will consolidate their OB/GYN and midwifery teams, ensuring continuity of care throughout the pregnancy and delivery process. 

Merging the care teams will reduce the overall call burden for providers, and the consolidation will allow for the expansion of obstetric services, including the potential introduction of VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) services, which are currently unavailable at MaineHealth Waldo​ or MaineHealth Pen Bay hospitals. 

 The hospital will maintain outpatient services including prenatal consultations, antenatal testing, obstetrical ultrasounds and postnatal care. Other important offerings such as fertility services, lactation support, childbirth education classes and postpartum counseling will also continue​. 

MaineHealth Waldo Hospital will also introduce a new OB nurse navigator role to assist families throughout their pregnancy journey, supporting all pregnant patients throughout the course of their care.