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Nurse midwife urges action after local women's health center closed; commissioners say hospital plans to reopen services
Summary
Carol Shipman, a certified nurse midwife, told commissioners the closure of a local women's health clinic has left women with long drives for care; commissioners said Northwell/Wayne Memorial cited staffing and infrastructure and indicated an off-site reopening was planned.
Carol Shipman, a nurse midwife who identified herself during public comment, told the Pike County commissioners that closure of a local women's health or urgent-care facility has left women in the county without nearby obstetric or women's health services and that travel times to the nearest hospital can exceed an hour.
"The women's health center closed down, and there's no women's services for women in this community," Shipman said, describing the closure as a loss for maternal and women's health access. She told the board midwifery could provide local options and urged the county to press health-system partners to restore services.
Commissioners said they had raised the issue with Northwell Health and with Wayne Memorial; one commissioner said Wayne Memorial said the prior basement location closed temporarily for staffing and infrastructure reasons and that services were being moved to a different facility outside Hemlock Farms, with an expectation of reopening. Commissioners encouraged local providers and residents to use new urgent-care offerings if available so services will be sustainable.
No formal action was taken at the meeting; commissioners said they would keep discussions with health systems open and convey community concerns.
