In a letter sent to patients this week from the Drexel University College of Medicine, which is associated with Hahnemann University Hospital, expectant mothers were informed that all non-emergency surgeries and proceedures would be halted by Friday. The letter went on to inform patients that hospital staff would help those who are due to give birth in July and August to tranfer their care to other hospitals.
While staff members were unable to speak on the record, Lori Daley, who has worked independently as a doula at various hospitals for the past decade, says closing this maternity ward is a huge detriment to the city's ability to provide high-quality pre- and post-natal care.
"There was just a certain compassion that existed," she said. "Not that you can't find that at other hospitals, but in my experience, it was just a little different there, and I think most of my clients really felt respected there."
She says Hahnemann's Cesarean section rates were consistently lower than other area hospitals. This is partly because they took in and helped patients who wanted to have a vaginal birth after C-sections, also known as VBAC.
"They're one of the only hospitals that has still welcomed moms who are wanting to have a vaginal birth after two C-sections," she said. "When a C-section rate rises, you see worse maternal health outcomes."
This closing now means that there are only five delivering academic hospitals in Philadelphia, leaving women with fewer options for how they want to give birth to their babies.