Labour and birth services suspended at New Brunswick hospital

Expecting parents near Waterville, N.B., will need to travel to the hospital in Fredericton to give birth.

Horizon’s Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville, N.B., suspended labour and birth services on Friday.

All pregnant persons who would normally go to the Upper River Valley Hospital to deliver their babies are being asked to go to the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (DECRH) in Fredericton, which is approximately an hour away. The suspension will last until June 1.

The reason for the disruption is a “lack of medical and nursing resources for emergency caesarian sections (C-sections),” said a news release from Horizon Health.

Even pregnant individuals who are low-risk and do not require C-sections must travel to DECRH, said the release.

The health authority says they contacted everyone in the Upper River Valley Hospital’s service area who is 35 weeks pregnant or more.

“Horizon continues to actively recruit surgical, anesthesia, and OR-trained nursing professionals to address the staffing gaps that have contributed to diversions at URVH,” said the release

Health Minster John Dornan says there is a plan in place to hire staff to avoid further disruptions.

“[We’ve hired] a new GP obstetrician that’s giving care there, a surgeon that is capable of doing caesarean section, we have had only one for a long time,” Dornan says. The new physician is not on site yet but is “close to coming on board” and Dornan says their arrival will prevent patient diversions in the future.

New Brunswick has experienced several disruptions to labour services. The Upper River Valley Hospital’s service has been paused before and the Miramichi Regional Hospital had a similar disruption earlier this month.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.