BELFAST, Maine — MaineHealth Waldo Hospital in Belfast, formerly known as Waldo County General Hospital, will close its labor and delivery services on April 1.
This closure adds to a growing list of Maine hospitals that have shut down birthing units since 2015, reducing options for local maternity care across the state.
This includes Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln, Calais Regional Hospital, Bridgton Hospital, St. Mary’s in Lewiston, Rumford Hospital, Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent, and York Hospital.
With the closure of Waldo Hospital's labor and delivery services, people will now have to travel to MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital, which is 22 miles away in Rockport, or to other hospitals outside of Waldo County to give birth.
The closure will affect expectant parents like Charlene Stiver, a Stockton Springs resident, who hopes to give birth to her first child at Waldo Hospital, a place where she has found comfort and a welcoming environment.
“Honestly, I feel a little betrayed,” she said.
Stiver’s due date is March 29, just days before the closure. Now, she might have to change her birth plans.
“I’m very saddened to have to add this extra stress onto this pregnancy when there are already so many stresses that pregnancies have and uncertainties,” Stiver said.
For many, Waldo Hospital has been a trusted setting for childbirth.
Molly Rubin-Sarsfield, who lives in Lincolnville, gave birth to her first child at Waldo Hospital after complications during a planned home birth. She said she couldn’t have imagined a better scenario.
“Everyone, like the nursing staff, were just so kind and compassionate and the care was like really incredible,” she said.
Rubin-Sarsfield said she’s disappointed that other mothers will lose the option to deliver at Waldo, and that the change will require some families to travel farther.
“I was just pretty devastated,” she said.
The decision to end labor and delivery services at Waldo Hospital was driven by low birth rates and staffing shortages, according to Denise Needham, president of Waldo and Pen Bay Hospitals.
“It’s a really difficult decision to make,” Needham said.
In 2023, 109 babies were born at Waldo Hospital. According to Needham, finances did not play a part in the decision to close.
“We were looking solely at the quality and safety of the program and our ability to sustain it,” Needham said.
With the closure, Waldo Hospital plans to expand its prenatal and postnatal outpatient services, while strengthening labor and delivery services at Pen Bay Hospital.
“When you consolidate those programs, you do create a safer program because you deliver more babies annually and are able to maintain your skill set adequately,” Needham said.
According to Needham, no hospital staff will lose their jobs.
Waldo Hospital will continue full maternity services through April 1, ensuring that current patients can complete their planned deliveries there if they choose.