By HOLLY GASKILL
The Meridian Women’s Health Clinic in Bluffton will close on June 28.
The announcement, made via Facebook, came just one day after Lutheran Health Network announced the closure of the labor and delivery unit at Bluffton Regional Medical Center. Meridian Health Services said the decision from BRMC “created a difficult decision that Lutheran Health Services and Meridian Health Services unfortunately had to make since services for women’s health would be affected by it.”
The statement continued, “Your health care is very important to us and together we will work with you to help transition your care to a new provider of your choice to ensure your needs are met after the closure date along with the departure of Dr. Jonathan Larsen from Lutheran Health Physicians.”
Meridian Health Services stated patients would receive a letter with further details and appointments would continue as normal until June 28.
The labor and delivery unit at BRMC will close on May 23. A statement for LHN attributed the decision to declining birth rates at the hospital and national fertility trends, which “made it difficult to secure and retain the specialized staff and providers necessary to provide this service,” chief administrative officer Julie Thompson said in a press release.
holly@news-banner.com
