Labour and birth services paused at Waterville hospital due to doctor shortage
Services to be shifted from Upper River Valley Hospital to Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital April 20-27
Expectant parents in the Waterville, N.B. area will need to adjust their plans for a week.
Horizon Health Network has announced that labour and birth services at the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville will be unavailable from April 20 to 27.
In a news release Friday, Horizon said anyone planning to deliver their baby at the Waterville hospital during this time will need to go to the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, which is about 117 kilometres away.
Horizon said this temporary change is due to the availability of physicians who can perform emergency C-sections.
"Even if a pregnant individual feels they are low-risk and do not require a C-section, they must still travel to the DECRH for labour and birth, as pregnancy-related issues and emergency situations can quickly arise during childbirth," the release said.
Everyone in the Upper River Valley Hospital service area who is 35 weeks pregnant or more has been notified of the change.