Henderson Hospital announced that its neonatal intensive care unit will stop accepting new patients on September 30, and after 7 p.m. that day any laboring mother who arrives will be cared for by the emergency department. The hospital gave its NICU staff a written notice on August 12, providing a 60‑day notice that makes October 12 the final day of employment for the unit’s workers.
NICU nurses voiced deep concern about the closure. Gregory Williams warned, “I’ve delivered babies in cars and hallways. That’s what's going to happen in Henderson's ER,” while also saying the community is being misled, noting, “That the community is being lied to.” Cassandra Ramos added, “I’m just heartbroken for our community. Henderson's growing! You drive all over Henderson, you can see there's thousands and thousands of homes being built, and we're taking such a valuable resource away from our community.”
The unit now has roughly 20 staff members remaining. Ramos, who dreamed of working in the NICU since nursing school, said, “At nursing school, I was a NICU cuddler, because I knew I wanted to work there,” and, “I just wanted to stay 'til then and be there to shut the lights off.” Williams plans to transfer to another hospital in the valley, while Ramos is still applying for NICU positions.
Families will need to travel to the nearest NICU at St. Rose Dominican Hospital’s Siena campus, about 30 minutes away in normal traffic. Williams explained, “Those minutes are precious. If your baby is on the way or you're having some problems, 20 to 30 to 40 minutes, that's a lot of time something can happen.” Ramos worried about the impact on surrounding hospitals, saying, “It's easy for the hospital to say that all these expecting moms can go to the surrounding hospitals, but I worry about the influx of volume to these other hospitals.”
In an August press release, Henderson Hospital said it is working with employees, health‑care providers and government agencies for a seamless transition that prioritizes maternity patients, staff and physicians. 8 News Now has reached out for an updated statement and will update the story when a response is received.
Sources: 8 News Now
Original reporting: 8 News Now →
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