The maternity ward at Hialeah Hospital is closing down -- a move patients and doctors say is a huge disservice to the community.
Tenet Healthcare, which owns the hospital, announced that effective April 5, Hialeah’s labor and delivery unit will consolidate into existing programs offered at nearby sister facilities North Shore Medical Center and Palmetto General Hospital.
The health care company said the transition will provide patients access to more specialized services, including access to the NICU units at North Shore and Palmetto.
A group of labor and delivery doctors gathered Friday to protest the closure, which would greatly impact patients who are economically disadvantaged and may not necessarily have the means to travel further to a different hospital.
"I was recruited here to work with a company that targets mostly undocumented and uninsured patients," one doctor said. "And we've been working very successfully here .... this news come as quite an abrupt shock."
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