State Sen. Pam Helming is urging Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Department of Health to take a closer look at Rochester Regional Health’s plan to end birthing services at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital, warning the decision could leave a wide stretch of rural communities with fewer safe, local options for maternal care.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Hochul and state Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald, Helming called the proposed closure a serious access issue for Wayne County and the surrounding region. She asked the state to conduct a thorough review, examine the long-term impact on maternal and infant healthcare, and work with local providers, elected officials, community leaders, and residents to identify alternatives that could keep the services available locally.
Rochester Regional Health announced last week that it had filed plans with the Department of Health to close inpatient labor and delivery, newborn nursery, and postpartum services at the Marshall Birthing Center. The center has served families at Newark-Wayne for more than 70 years.
Health system officials said the decision is being driven by patient safety concerns tied to persistent staffing shortages, declining birth rates, and the difficulty of maintaining round-the-clock specialized coverage. If the state approves the plan, deliveries would transition primarily to Rochester General Hospital and other regional facilities later this year.
Helming said she understands the staffing and operational pressures facing hospitals across New York, but argued that the loss of local birthing services would have real consequences for expectant mothers and families across Wayne County.
“The loss of local birthing services would have a profound impact on expectant mothers and families throughout Wayne County,” Helming wrote.
Her letter points to several concerns, including longer travel times during labor, reduced access to care for high-risk and low-income patients, transportation barriers, and added strain on regional hospitals that would absorb more deliveries.
Helming said the impact would be especially serious for Wayne County’s rural and agricultural communities, including seasonal and migrant farm workers, low-income families, and residents who already face barriers related to transportation, child care, work schedules, language access, and insurance coverage.
She also noted that Seneca County does not have a hospital, while nearby facilities in Ontario County, including Geneva General Hospital and Clifton Springs Hospital, do not provide labor and delivery services. Closing the birthing center at Newark-Wayne, she said, would further reduce access to maternal healthcare across the region.
Under Rochester Regional Health’s plan, Newark-Wayne Community Hospital itself would remain open. Emergency services, inpatient care, prenatal care, outpatient postpartum care, gynecological care, and other services would continue locally. Hospital officials have said emergency obstetric care would still be available, with stabilization and transfer protocols in place for urgent cases.
Still, Helming said the issue cannot be viewed only through the lens of delivery volume or birth rate trends. She pointed to a 2025 state comptroller’s report that found persistent healthcare workforce shortages in rural New York, including shortages in obstetrics and gynecology.
During state budget hearings this year, Helming said lawmakers raised questions about New York’s short- and long-term plans for addressing rural healthcare workforce shortages, including access to maternal care. She said the state has yet to provide concrete answers or meaningful solutions.
“It is past time for New York State to take decisive action to address these challenges before additional healthcare services are lost,” Helming wrote.
She said the state’s recently approved budget exceeds $250 billion, and argued rural communities should not continue losing essential healthcare services close to home while broader healthcare investments are being made.
Helming asked the Department of Health to fully examine the proposal before making a decision and to consider whether alternatives exist that would preserve access to local maternal and infant care.
“The families who rely on Newark-Wayne Community Hospital deserve access to safe, reliable, and local maternal healthcare services,” she wrote.
A public hearing on the proposed closure is expected as part of the state review process.
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 news@fingerlakes1.com.