Ambulance crews across Wayne County say they’re ready to deliver babies in the field after Rochester Regional Health announced plans to end labor and delivery services at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital, according to RochesterFirst.
Newark-Arcadia Volunteer Ambulance officials said crews already carry specialized childbirth equipment and complete yearly emergency delivery training. Leaders said maternal emergency calls remain relatively rare, with the agency handling seven in the last year and a half.
Ontario Volunteer Emergency Squad leaders said mutual aid systems are also in place if Newark-area ambulances aren’t available. Once Newark-Wayne’s maternity unit closes, pregnant patients in crisis will still use the hospital’s emergency department before transfers to other facilities offering inpatient childbirth care.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].