Redmond councilors oppose birthing center closure

The Redmond City Council took on the proposed shutdown of the Redmond Family Birthing Center Tuesday night with a formal, unanimous stand of opposition.

Councilors also heard from hospital administrators, nurses, doctors and parents in the community.

Many differing opinions on the matter were shared, but ultimately, councilors approved a resolution to recommend that the St. Charles Health System board not shut down the Redmond Family Birthing Center.

It won support support from all of the council members in attendance.

Mayor George Endicott said that closing the birthing center and requiring expectant parents to travel to Bend could cause some problems for the community.

“The entire community has basically gotten outraged, I guess that’s a good word,” Endicott said. “You know, some things are more important than money, and this is one of those times.”

Endicott added that the birthing center not only serves Redmond but much of the surrounding area.

The Oregon Nurses Association union also has been vocal in its opposition to the proposal.

But according to St. Charles officials, shutting down the facility and consolidating the resources will help patients.

Right now, according to St. Charles, both the Bend and Redmond birthing centers are running at less than 50 percent capacity, on average.

According to St. Charles, shutting down the birthing center will create cheaper options for people.

St. Charles says right now, they are roughly charging 20 percent more for the services than the average elsewhere.

Aaron Adams, president of the Bend and Redmond hospital, said shutting down the birthing center would help bring down those costs.

“I’m proud of the comments that our caregivers gave today, but we also have a responsibility to make these choices visible to our board,” Adams said. “These choices have a lot of impact on our patients and the affordability to come and receive care. They do have measures that can provide the quality of the programs that we provide beyond what we provide today.”

Adams added that with the combining of the birth centers in Bend and Redmond, it could help to fund other areas that need help, such as mental health care.

The St. Charles board will take a look at the proposals later this week.

Adams said from there, it’s hard to say just how long it will take for the board to make a decision on the options before them.