No more babies will be born at Falmouth Hospital as of next Monday, April 6. Cape Cod Healthcare is moving its obstetric and inpatient pediatric units to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis.
CEO Mike Lauf said the potential need for COVID-19 beds spurred him to make the change now, but the health system began planning it months ago. The number of patients using the obstetric and pediatric units has declined.
“We were unable to provide, as of July, the necessary physician coverage for the obstetrical unit at Falmouth Hospital,” he said. “And because of that, and because of the fact that we have a pediatric hospitalist service at Cape Cod Hospital, we decided to consolidate the units.”
Lauf said Falmouth’s average daily census in obstetrics is fewer than three, and in pediatrics, it is fewer than one. The obstetrics unit has nine beds.
Lauf said staff layoffs from those units will be part of the transition, although the hospitals will look for other positions for employees wherever possible.
Together, the two units have 20 full-time equivalent positions, he said.
Physicians’ offices will remain in Falmouth.