SAN DIEGO — Two months after Scripps Mercy Chula Vista shut down its maternity ward, the only one left in the region is feeling the impact.
Sharp Chula Vista is now the only maternity ward South of Interstate 8 in San Diego County.
It’s been around for more than 30 years, and just last month, staff delivered 300 babies — more than ever before.
"It's the best thing that has ever happened to us. We were praying for her," said new mom, Edith Del Rio.
Del Rio and her husband, Omar Valdez, just had their first born daughter at Sharp Chula Vista.
Born five weeks early, she spent 20 days in the NICU.
Thankfully, Del Rio and Valdez live just ten minutes away, so visiting her daily wasn't as challenging as it may be for others in similar situations.
"It made me feel good that we were really close by. It was really hard to to go home without her, but the nurses, like I said, they made us feel really comfortable. And also, the live camera that they have here, we were able to see her through the night," said Del Rio.
Del Rio has been a longtime Sharp patient, so when Scripps Mercy Chula Vista shut down its maternity ward in June, she wasn't affected.
But, lots of women were.
Patients and healthcare workers spoke out, concerned over the closure and the impact it had on access to prenatal care in the South Bay.
Its maternity ward closed less than three years after Paradise Valley's did, making Sharp Chula Vista the only maternity ward left in the South Bay region.
"Getting prenatal care and being connected to a physician really improves outcomes for women and babies. So, it's very important to us,” said Dr. Samer Khodor, Chief Medical Officer of Sharp Chula Vista.
Dr. Khodor says the maternity ward has seen steady growth over the past few years, and recently hired more nurses and doctors to prepare for an influx of new patients.
When Sharp was one of three maternity wards in the area, they would deliver an average of 150 babies a month.
After Paradise Valley's closed, it climbed to 200.
Then, following Scripps's closure, it jumped to 300 deliveries in July alone.
“Whether or not that sustains, it's hard to say, but these are our higher volume months historically, so time will tell," said Dr. Khoder.
Dr. Khoder says with an entire floor dedicated to maternity care, they have the space to handle the volume, and can also access sister hospitals if needed.
Nationwide, maternity ward closures have been on the rise due to a variety of reasons including labor shortages, increasing costs, low reimbursements and declining birth rates.
When asked if there's any chance of that happening at Sharp, Dr. Khodor told CBS 8 Sharp Chula Vista is committed to staying in the community and will offer help to anyone who needs it.
“We welcome anyone that comes to our door, absolutely anyone," Dr. Khodor said, "and we take care of them the same way.”
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