Perry County Memorial Hospital will stop delivering babies

TELL CITY, Ind. (WISH) — Perry County Memorial Hospital will stop providing obstetrics services and deliveries at the end of 2023.

Hospital officials say the decision was “based on declining rates of deliveries, as well as evaluating the current and future healthcare needs of the community.”

Last year, there were only 70 deliveries at Perry County Memorial Hospital. For 2023, the hospital is on pace to only have 38 deliveries.

“As a designated critical access hospital, we are limited to 25 beds. Currently, four of our beds are set
aside for obstetric services, while we’re averaging less than one delivery per week. By making those four beds available for other care, such as med-surg or transitional care/swing beds, we will be able to better meet our community’s need for local care and reduce transfers to other facilities. We are also working to add more surgical procedures, implement comprehensive pain management services, and reopen our ICU and cardiac rehab services.”

Jared Stimpson, CEO, PCMH

Pregnant patients will continue to receive prenatal obstetric care from local physicians who offer these services. Four hospitals provide obstetric and delivery care within an hour’s drive of Tell City.

PCMH’s emergency department will continue to handle emergency deliveries and stabilize patients before transferring them to other facilities.

“The decision to end a service is never an easy one, and I understand that ceasing deliveries may be
particularly emotional,” said Stimpson. “However, when factoring in the broader needs of our
community, this decision was made to help ensure that we are able to provide the care that is most
needed by patients in Perry County and the surrounding area.

Another Indiana hospital announced this year that it will no longer offer certain services.