Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH) in Plains will be discontinuing the delivery of babies beginning Jan. 1, 2024.
This change is due to mounting challenges in staffing, training and patient numbers, according to the hospital.
According to CFVH Hospital CEO Dr. Greg Hanson, deliveries have been declining over the last 10 years making it difficult to recruit sufficiently skilled medical professionals for round-the-clock coverage.
“First, deliveries have steadily declined over the past 10 years, then it has become increasingly difficult to recruit sufficient skilled medical personnel to provide obstetrical care with round-the-clock coverage, and finally the delivery volumes did not provide the ongoing experience necessary to keep staff fully trained in this challenging area of healthcare." - CFVH Hospital CEO Dr. Greg Hanson
CFVH only delivered 18 babies in 2022 and the low delivery volumes did not provide ongoing experiences to keep the staff trained in this area.
Maternal health services will still be provided at CFVH until other care can be arranged.
Through partnering with two obstetrical physicians and their hospitals some prenatal care will be available in Plains so mothers-to-be won’t have to constantly travel for their appointments.
This is not a unique decision as many rural hospitals across the nation have stopped offering obstetric delivery services, and many never offered OB services to begin with.
CFVH will continue to provide other women’s health services including annual exams, Pap smears and gynecological care.
