Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network announced Thursday that it will shutter is maternity ward at Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital by July 1, shifting all birth center care and deliveries to its hospitals in West Bend and Wauwatosa.
This move is being made, according to a press release, to ensure “the continuation of high-quality care based on the needs of people in nearby communities.”
Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital Birth Center patients and staff will transfer to birth centers at the West Bend and Wauwatosa hospitals, the release states. Both locations will work to expand services, hospital officials said.
“To meet the growing needs of the diverse communities we serve we are finding new ways to continue providing high-quality care,” said
Eric Conley, president, South Region, Froedtert ThedaCare Health, Inc., president, Froedtert Hospital. “Like many centers across the country, we are finding that our aging population, coupled with declining local birth rates, means we have an opportunity to transform the way we deliver birthing care. To realize this change, we’re excited to enhance birth center services at Froedtert West Bend Hospital and Froedtert Hospital to help ensure we continue to offer the right level of care to the communities we serve. This includes expanding the birth center at Froedtert Hospital to meet a growing need in the greater-Milwaukee area.”
Expecting families who planned to deliver at Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital on or before July 1 may continue to do so. Families delivering babies after July 1 will have the option to transition care to Froedtert Hospital or Froedtert West Bend Hospital.
Obstetrics and gynecology care will remain available in the Menomonee Falls area at Town Hall Health Center.
No position eliminations are expected as a result of this change, according to the press release.