Samaritan Health reverses course on plans to close birthing centers in rural Oregon

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Samaritan Health Services announced on Wednesday that they are no longer planning to close birthing centers in rural Oregon.

Samaritan initially announced their plans to end labor and delivery as well as emergency surgical services at all five of their hospitals back in May.

The healthcare system has five hospitals in total in Albany, Corvallis, Lebanon, Lincoln City and Newport.

Samaritan says the decision came after over 70 feedback sessions and discussions with clinicians, staff and leaders systemwide.

“I am proud of how our clinical program workgroups have continued to work through the process of exploration in recent months,” said Marty Cahill, Samaritan’s president and chief executive officer. “I am also very impressed with how Samaritans have come together with innovative solutions to work toward financially sustainable health care. The feedback we received was clear – our teams want to sustain essential services close to home, while finding new ways to collaborate, reduce reliance on temporary providers, and strengthen financial sustainability. The modified proposals represent this shared vision.”

The Oregon Nurses Association released a statement on Wednesday evening addressing the cancelation of the closures:

“From the beginning, nurses and families made it clear these birthplaces are irreplaceable and must be saved. Generations of families got their start here, and generations fought together to make sure future families have access to safe, local healthcare.

This is a victory for our entire community—especially our patients. We are deeply grateful to everyone who wrote letters, signed petitions, attended rallies and marched with us. Your voices made the difference.

Healthcare providers, patients, and community leaders stood united and ultimately Samaritan listened.

Keeping our birth centers and emergency surgery services open is lifesaving for moms, babies and local families. We celebrate today’s announcement and look forward to continuing to care and advocate for our patients and communities.”

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