UMC ends labor, delivery
LAFAYETTE — University Medical Center closed its labor and delivery department Wednesday and from now on the medical center’s prenatal patients will deliver at Women’s & Children’s Hospital, according to a public notice issued by the LSU Health System.
Women’s & Children’s also will receive the medical center’s newborns from its nursery and its neonatal intensive care unit Friday; few transfers are expected, according to information from University Medical Center.
Also Friday, pediatric inpatients will be transferred to Lafayette General Medical Center, according to the notice.
Future inpatient pediatric care for University Medical Center will be provided by Women’s & Children’s and Lafayette General.
The changes are part of University Medical Center’s $4.2 million budget reduction to fill the public hospital system’s $34 million budget deficit.
The budget reduction translated to clinic and service closures for the hospital as well as the loss of an estimated 80 employees.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, Women’s & Children’s had not received any obstetrics patients, said Lisa Landry, regional marketing director at the hospital.
University Medical Center averaged 30 deliveries a month, and Women’s & Children’s has the staff in place to accommodate the volume expected, Landry said.
As part of its partnership with University Medical Center, Women’s & Children’s will become a training site for family medicine residents required to receive obstetric training.
The residents will follow the care of the medical center’s prenatal patients who deliver their children at Women’s & Children’s.
University Medical Center is maintaining pediatric clinic services through its family medicine clinic, which will allow residents to continue to receive their required pediatric training.
Landry said the private hospital viewed the partnership as a “win-win” for the community.
“We felt it was important to take on this role because we are a community provider and we also believe in the education of the residents, which will allow them to continue their education, as well,” Landry said.
Landry said women transferred to the hospital from University Medical Center will be eligible for the same prenatal and postnatal classes available to all inpatients, such as “baby basics” and sibling classes.
Patients with questions may contact University Medical Center’s Patient Relations Department at (337) 261-6460.
If a patient of University Medical Center chooses to seek care elsewhere, medical records may be obtained by contacting University Medical Center’s Medical Records Department, Attn: Jessie Hanks, 2390 W. Congress St., Lafayette, LA 70506.
Call (337) 261-6196.