ER, baby delivery unit closing in the same county, causing longer commutes for care

MIAMI COUNTY — Two Miami County medical centers will soon be closing one department each, leaving questions about the available care in the area.

As News Center 7 previously reported, Kettering Health Piqua will close its Emergency Department on Feb. 1. At the end of the month, on Feb. 29, the Labor and Delivery unit at Upper Valley Medical Center (UVMC) in Troy will cease operations.

“That’s kind of scary,” Tim Riverning said.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Premier Health closing labor and delivery unit at Upper Valley Medical Center

A Premier Health spokesperson told News Center 7 on Tuesday that a “declining birth rate locally and outmigration of births” played a factor in closing UVMC’s Labor and Delivery unit.

As we showed you on News Center 7 at 5:30, there were 623 births at UVMC in 2018. The number of births at the hospital has dropped every year. Last year, only 325 births happened at UVMC.

For those in the county who are having a child or planning to have a child, the closest delivery unit will now be Wilson Memorial Hospital in Sidney. If parents want to stay with Premier for their births, the closest facility will be Miami Valley Hospital’s main campus in Dayton.

The beds in the unit will be converted to surgical beds in the hospital.

Roughly a week before Premier’s announcement, Kettering Health announced the upcoming closure of its Emergency Department. In a statement to News Center 7, a spokesperson said “there has been a significant shift in the type of care needed, resulting in fewer true emergency cases and a growing need for other types of care.”

>> RELATED: Kettering Health to close Emergency Dept. at one Miami County facility

News Center 7 spoke with interim Piqua Fire Chief Paul Brown Wednesday morning about the impact the closure will have on EMS runs for the department. He said 44 percent of Piqua’s EMS transports last year went to Kettering Health Piqua. The other 56 percent went to UVMC.

Brown said they were “greatly blessed” to have had the Emergency Department in the city.

“Having that resource in our backyard was greatly appreciated,” he said.

Kettering Health Troy’s Emergency Department is less than 12 minutes away from the Piqua location. Patients like Maryann Bergman are relieved the Troy location is remaining open.

“The hospital is just a stone’s throw away,” she said.

Both Premier and Kettering Health have positions available within their healthcare systems and are working to try and reassign employees at both facilities.

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