Los Angeles County: the epicenter of urban maternity ward closings
LOS ANGELES — Simone DeRoche, expecting her fourth child in December, had her birth plan set: delivering at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, where her three other kids were born.
But when she received the text from her OB-GYN last week that the hospital will be closing its maternity ward and NICU in November, DeRoche felt a wave of disappointment and sadness. She’d enjoyed the experience of giving birth at the Glendale, Calif., hospital, calling it “a special place.” DeRoche said she has options, including giving birth at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, a mere 10- to 15-minute drive from her home in La Crescenta. But she’s uncertain where she’ll end up, or what the experience will be like — she’s recently heard stories about overcrowded area hospitals where deliveries are happening in the ER. The news about Verdugo Hills hit home: She knew about rural hospitals closing maternity wards, but not urban area hospitals.
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