MISSOULA — The Montana Nurses Association (MNA) is urging Providence St. Patrick Hospital to immediately reverse a decision to close its labor and delivery unit.
"The decision to shut down the Family Maternity Center without meaningful stakeholder input, transparency, or transition planning is not only harmful to the healthcare workers impacted but puts the health and safety of families and newborns in jeopardy," MNA President Vicky Byrd said in a statement released Wednesday.
St. Patrick Hospital announced earlier this month that it's closing its Family Maternity Center due to declining birth rates and workforce shortages.
There has been significant blowback bout the decision, including from Western Montana Clinic and now the Montana Nurses Association.
The MNA is calling on St. Patrick Hospital leadership to halt the closure process, engage in transparent discussion, explore collaborative solutions, and honor its stated mission of compassionate care. The family maternity center's closure is set for October 10.
Read the full Montana Nurses Association statement below:
The Montana Nurses Association (MNA), representing thousands of registered nurses across the state, stands in full solidarity with the registered nurses, healthcare providers, and staff of the Family Maternity Center (FMC) at Providence St. Patrick Hospital, and joins their call to immediately reverse the hospital’s abrupt decision to close the FMC department.
The FMC is more than a unit—it is a vital, life-affirming service to the Missoula community and surrounding region. It has long been a place where families have experienced safe, compassionate, high-quality maternity care delivered by a dedicated and skilled team of nurses, midwives, and physicians.
“The decision to shut down the Family Maternity Center without meaningful stakeholder input, transparency, or transition planning is not only harmful to the healthcare workers impacted but puts the health and safety of families and newborns in jeopardy,” said Vicky Byrd, MSN, RN, CEO of MNA . “This closure disregards the commitment of the frontline nurses who have built this program over the past decade, many of whom relocated from across the country to serve this community.”
Nurses and providers at FMC were blindsided by the announcement and have expressed deep concern about the lack of a clear plan for maternal care access, patient safety, and workforce redeployment.
MNA calls on Providence leadership to:
- Immediately halt the closure process of the FMC;
- Engage in transparent discussions with nurses, providers, and community members;
- Explore collaborative solutions that protect family maternity care access in Missoula and surrounding communities;
- Honor its stated mission of compassionate care by putting patients and caregivers first.
MNA stands firmly behind the nurses who dedicate themselves to their patients and communities. "Our nurses are not giving up on their patients, and we will not give up on them," emphasized Byrd. "We call on Providence to return to the table and work collaboratively to find a path forward—one that ensures the continuation of this essential service while honoring the vital contributions of the healthcare professionals who make it possible."
