LEESBURG — Leesburg mothers and OB/GYN patients have learned that UF Health Leesburg Hospital is closing its labor and delivery ward, the Life Center for Women.
“This is beyond insane,” said Tavares High graduate and former maternity patient Jill Stubbs.
According to Greg Harrison, UF Health’s assistant vice president of external communications, the hospital is shifting its priorities to meet the needs of Leesburg’s aging adult population.
“UF Health Leesburg is expanding its focus on high-demand women’s specialty services — including cardiovascular care, comprehensive breast health, urogynecology, orthopedics and stroke care,” a hospital news release said.
Harrison clarified that UF Health has observed a significant decrease in the number of births at the hospital, and with that, they also realized that there is a need for other services.
Life Center for Women patient Allison Liston wasn’t satisfied with UF Health’s explanation.
“That’s atrocious!” she reacted. “Leesburg Elementary School has multiple pre-K and kindergarten classes, and daycare wait lists in the area are usually out 6-8 months.”
The Daily Commercial asked Harrison if UF Health projected population changes and noted a recent U.S. Census report crediting Leesburg as the third fastest-growing city in the nation.
“The demographics that we received said that the growth was not so much about women that would be younger having children, but it would be older women, people getting older who are beyond childbearing years,” Harrison explained.
Liston still maintains that the closure is a wrong move. She told the Daily Commercial that she gave birth to both of her children at the Leesburg-UF Health women’s center, and so have many of her friends.
“The patient count may be down for labor and delivery, but the need is still there, and as a community hospital, they may lose in one department and gain highly in the others,” Liston said. “This is part of being a community hospital and they are called to support their community as a whole. To remove a whole treatment portion of the hospital is insane and dangerous to Leesburg residents.”
The facility at 600 E. Dixie Ave. first opened as Leesburg General Hospital in the mid-1950s, and later Leesburg Regional Medical Center in 1963. The Lake County hospital grew into a comprehensive health system that’s now part of UF Health Central Florida.
After operating for decades as a community hospital, UF Health announced its acquisition of Central Florida Health in 2019, with the transition to UF Health Leesburg Hospital finalized in early 2020.
Before UF Health took over, Liston said that both she and her brother were born at the Leesburg hospital.
She proposed to the Daily Commercial that UF Health may be masking a fiscally motivated decision:
“There are many, many women who do not get prenatal care in Leesburg because they cannot afford it. They don’t have insurance and they are not being considered. It really does look from the outside looking in that this is all about money.”
When asked about these possibilities, Harrison sent the Daily Commercial the following explanation via email.
“As the state’s premier health system, we are here to take care of everyone regardless of their ability to pay. The decision to close our obstetrics program is based on a combination of factors, including:
We are assisting with compassionately transitioning any current patients to neighboring hospitals that offer high-quality care in the area.”
Several current and former patients at the women’s center at UF Health found out about UF Health’s OB/GYN closure via Facebook from a Leesburg-based gynecologist who broke the news.
“Anyone who wants to keep women’s heath care in our community, please call UF Leesburg and let them know shutting down our labor floor will cause major harm to the area,” Dr. Doug Moffett posted.
“Where will our young mothers go and who will be here to practice GYN for the other women if the local practices are forced to close down or move as a result? Please make your voices heard. We just found this out (we have) 45 days until we are no longer providing OB services in our town!”
The Daily Commercial asked UF Health spokesperson Harrison what UF Health will do to help patients under obstetric care.
He explained the hospital has been working closely with AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares to assure patients the smoothest transition possible.
“We really care a lot about our patients and want to make sure that everything is done to accommodate their needs,” Harrison said. “We’ve been working with them to continue a smooth transition of care.”
An information hotline about the closure can be accessed at 352-323-1099.Added Liston about the planned changes at UF Health Leesburg Hospital:
“It is a severe concern for the health of women and babies in the Leesburg area. There’s no way other hospitals can support the surge of patient care this will bring, and this is so detrimental for the speedy care of women and babies.”
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: ‘Shifting priorities’: UF Health to close Leesburg OB/GYN ward to accommodate older patient care
Reporting by Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial / Daily Commercial
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