Another hospital in Oregon will no longer deliver babies.

Providence told staff on Tuesday that it will close its inpatient maternity unit at its hospital in Seaside, Oregon.

The closure will take effect Oct. 4. The services being cut include labor and delivery, well-newborn inpatient care, and surgical gynecologic care, according to an announcement emailed to Providence staff.

Two general practitioners with obstetrics training will remain at the hospital and will continue to provide some prenatal care to patients.

The announcement follows close on the heels of layoffs that cut 128 positions in Oregon. Providence’s chief executive in the state has said the cuts will continue until the organization, which has been posting $100 million losses annually, breaks even.

For families in Seaside, the closest place to have a baby will be Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, about a 30-minute drive up the coast. Columbia Memorial delivered 200 babies last year, significantly more than Seaside.

Astoria also has a birth center staffed by nurse-midwives who work with patients who have low-risk pregnancies.

Providence executives said the falling birthrate in Clatsop County and a shortage of skilled physicians and nurses are driving the closure.

Providence Seaside Chief Administrative Officer Rebecca Coplin says the hospital is currently delivering about one baby a week. “It isn’t sustainable any longer,” she said.

The birthrate in Clatsop County overall fell steadily between 2014 and 2024, according to state data. The number of births delivered at Providence Seaside declined by half during that same time period, from 109 in 2014 to 51 last year.

Maternity units are required by state and federal regulations to have specialized staff on-call 24-7, and they often serve a higher percentage of patients on Medicaid. That means hospitals with smaller volumes of patients rarely break even, making maternity one of the first departments cut in lean times. A recent report by the health care analytics firm Chartis found that nationwide, more than 25% of rural hospitals have eliminated obstetrics services since 2011.

Coplin said Providence Seaside is also struggling to meet the minimum staffing standards legally required of a level one maternity unit.

The hospital’s main obstetrics provider retired earlier this month. But in spite of two years of lead time, Coplin was unable to recruit a replacement for him. As a result, the hospital is relying on doctors in Portland to provide on-call coverage, she said.

Coplin said the larger hospital in Seaside is not slated for closure and is moving forward with plans for a trauma designation and expanded cancer care.

The closure will affect 12 nurses, all members of the Oregon Nurses’ Association. Coplin said she will work closely with the union to determine what happens to staff whose positions are being eliminated. The nurses’ union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/08/19/providence-seaside-hospital-closes-maternity-unit/