Hospital Votes to Discontinue OB Services

Grand Marais, MN – The Board of Directors of Cook County North Shore Hospital and Care Center held a special meeting on Friday, January 30, to discuss whether elective OB delivery services should continue to be offered at the hospital. At the close of the meeting they issued a formal statement.

In a unanimous decision, the board voted to discontinue elective OB delivery services at the hospital, effective July 1, 2015.

The board directed management to develop, in coordination with the Medical Staff, policies and procedures for the provision of emergency-only OB delivery services at the hospital, starting July 1.

Management was also directed to collaborate with Sawtooth Mountain Clinic physicians and staff to develop and enhance policies, procedures and programs to facilitate the availability and coordination of prenatal and postnatal care offered in Cook County by all health care providers.

Board chair Kay Olson stated, “It was not a question of whether we wanted to provide elective OB services, but one of whether we can provide elective OB services safely and in a manner that meets the standards of care. The board, in consultation with the medical
staff, made the decision we believe is in the best interest of patients, the hospital and the community.”

Board member Tom Spence said, “This issue was reviewed and discussed with the nursing and medical staff using processes that are established for quality improvement/peer review issues. We appreciated and valued the community conversations through this process. We are committed to working with community members to ensure the best possible transition to this new model.”

A significant shortfall in the hospital’s ability to meet the standards of care is its inability to provide a C-section within 30 minutes of a physician determining that one is necessary. The hospital does not currently have an operating room. Conservative estimates place the
cost of offering emergency Cesarean sections at $1 million per year.

The cost is predominately for anesthesia and surgery employees and does not include the cost of surgeons needed to perform the surgery.
From 2002 to 2014, the average number of annual deliveries by residents living in Cook County was 46.6. During that same time period, Cook County North Shore Hospital had an average of 9.5 deliveries a year, or about 20% of all deliveries by Cook County residents.

Olson added, “The board is legally responsible for the operation of Cook County North Shore Hospital and Care Center. That includes a fiduciary responsibility, a duty of loyalty and a duty to care for the organization they have the responsibility to govern.”

Cook County North Shore Hospital and Care Center remains committed to working with Sawtooth Mountain Clinic and their doctors and employees to enhance the services for prenatal and postnatal care and will provide emergency deliveries for those babies who just
will not wait.