Many expectant mothers in our community are experiencing sudden fear, panic, and deep uncertainty following the recent announcement regarding the Fort Logan Hospital birthing unit closure. Women who carefully chose this facility (and who have already established prenatal care with trusted providers including Dr. Bates, Dr. Miller, Dr. Sims, and others who faithfully serve our community) are now facing the possibility of losing the place and people they entrusted with one of the most vulnerable and meaningful moments of their lives.

For these mothers, this is not simply about a location. It is about continuity of care, trust built over months, and the comfort of knowing their provider understands their medical history, their birth plan, and their fears. Being asked to change hospitals and providers late in pregnancy has caused overwhelming stress for families who believed their birth journey was already safely planned.

Many expectant mothers, including myself, are now exploring other OB providers or hospitals outside of Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center altogether due to the uncertainty and mistrust created by this announcement. While each family must make the choice that feels safest for them, this collective concern reflects how deeply patients value continuity of care, trust, and the strong relationships they have built with their providers who deliver at Fort Logan Hospital. We hope Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center takes these voices seriously and demonstrates that the community’s needs and trust matter -showing that patients are truly at the heart of their decisions.

For more than 40 years, The Birthing Spa at Fort Logan Hospital has served the women of Lincoln County and surrounding areas, welcoming more than 10,000 babies into this community. The unit has received multiple distinguishing awards recognizing excellence in maternity care, including being named “The Best Hospital for Maternity Care” and earning the Women’s Choice Award for OB care on two occasions, most recently receiving a second Women’s Choice Award for 2026. These honors reflect what so many local women already know...that this unit provides exceptional, compassionate, and patient-centered care with unmatched amenities, ranking in the Top 3% nationally.

This facility is not only deeply important to expectant mothers, but to the entire community. Anyone who has experienced, witnessed, or heard the stories of births at Fort Logan understands the unique sense of care, connection, and reassurance that surrounds this place. There is a true magic in the way families are supported here -in the calm, dignity, and compassion shown while bringing new life into the world. It is a blessing to have such a facility within our community, and one that many believe deserves thoughtful reconsideration to remain open.

Fort Logan’s birthing unit is a source of deep pride for our community. Time and time again, women speak of the kindness, attentiveness, and respect they received. Care that made them feel heard, safe, and supported. Many planned to return to this same unit for future births, finding comfort in a place that consistently showed up for them during life’s most vulnerable moments. The announced intended closure of this unit on February 16 by Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center feels like the loss of something deeply personal and irreplaceable.

This change also affects the dedicated nurses, staff, and caregivers who have poured their hearts into caring for mothers and babies. These professionals are more than staff members. They are trusted faces and steady hands who have supported families through joy, fear, and healing, and who have built lasting relationships within this community.

Research consistently shows that increased travel distance to maternity care significantly impacts maternal and newborn safety...especially in rural communities. Studies have found that women who must travel farther for delivery face higher risks of delayed care, increased labor complications, higher rates of emergency deliveries, and poorer outcomes for both mother and baby. Rural mothers already travel substantially farther on average than their urban counterparts to access labor and delivery services, and even small increases in distance can create dangerous delays during time-sensitive emergencies such as hemorrhage, preeclampsia, fetal distress, or shoulder dystocia. In childbirth, minutes matter. Miles matter. Access to timely, local care can be the difference between a routine delivery and a life-threatening emergency.

This concern is especially critical for our Amish community. Many Amish families in Lincoln County and surrounding areas plan for home births and only seek hospital care when complications identified by a trusted midwife make transfer medically necessary. These situations are often urgent and already carry heightened risk. According to Amish midwife Mattie Byler, the closure of Fort Logan’s birthing unit could represent a life-or-death change for Amish families who rely on her clinical judgment and the ability to rapidly access nearby hospital care when emergencies arise. Increasing the distance to obstetric services during these critical moments creates dangerous delays for a population that already seeks hospital care only as a last resort, further elevating the risk to both mother and child.

We respectfully ask that the voices of patients, families, and staff be heard. We ask for thoughtful reconsideration, open communication, and meaningful dialogue about preserving access to labor and delivery care at Fort Logan Hospital.

Expectant mothers deserve to feel valued and cared about as patients — including having the ability to continue care with the providers they have already established trust with, and to give birth at the facility they intended to choose. Many women who are halfway through or further along in their pregnancies face significant barriers when attempting to transfer care, as it is common practice for medical offices to limit acceptance of late-term transfers due to clinical and liability considerations. The announcement of the planned closure on February 16 did not appear to fully account for the circumstances of women who are currently established patients and who may now be compelled to seek alternative care under constrained options — a concern many have already expressed. Thoughtful planning that recognizes these realities is essential, as continuity, informed choice, and respect for a woman’s autonomy are fundamental components of patient-centered maternity care.

This petition is not about conflict. It is a heartfelt plea rooted in care, connection, and community asking that our voices matter, and that the women and families affected by this decision be met with compassion and consideration.

Sincerely,
A nurse, an expectant mother, a patient, and above all, one of many voices of a heartbroken community asking for compassion, transparency, and reconsideration of the decision to close this unit so abruptly.

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