Back in May, Ottawa Family Physicians informed AdventHealth Ottawa that they were no longer able to provide 24/7 coverage needed for labor and delivery care to Franklin County residents, and gave a six months notice on the subject. That time is nearly up. Since then, both parties have been trying to recruit physicians with the necessary training to help provide these services. However, that search has not yet been successful. As a result, all labor and delivery services will be put on pause at AdventHealth Ottawa beginning November 9th. They hope to reopen birth services as early as summer of 2024 and are pursuing a variety of options.
So, if you are pregnant and expect to deliver after November 9th, what do you do? You need to contact your physician to make an alternate delivery plan. AdventHealth says that as soon as birth services resume at the hospital, Ottawa family physicians doctors will be welcome to provide labor and delivery care. They say they are sorry for expectant mothers impacted by the pause in services and will do all they can to ensure births resume at Advent soon.
