More than 50 residents, healthcare workers, elected officials and expectant mothers packed a public hearing Friday night to challenge Rochester Regional Health’s plan to eliminate labor and delivery services at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital, setting up what could become one of the Finger Lakes region’s most significant healthcare fights of the year.
The hearing marked the first formal public review of Rochester Regional Health’s proposal to close the Marshall Birthing Center, which has served families in Wayne County for more than 70 years. While hospital leaders argued the move is necessary because of declining birth rates and severe staffing shortages, many residents warned that the loss of local maternity care would create dangerous gaps in access across a large rural region.
Why Rochester Regional wants to close the birthing center
Rochester Regional Health announced earlier this month that it plans to discontinue inpatient labor and delivery, newborn nursery and postpartum services at Newark-Wayne Community Hospital. Other hospital services, including emergency care, prenatal services, gynecological care and outpatient postpartum care, would remain in Newark.
Hospital officials repeatedly emphasized Friday that the proposal is not financially driven.
Dr. Marcy Mulconry, Rochester Regional Health’s executive medical director of women’s health, said the system has struggled to recruit enough OB-GYN physicians to safely staff labor and delivery operations around the clock. She also pointed to a significant decline in births at the hospital, noting that annual deliveries have fallen from more than 700 at their peak and 670 in 2019 to approximately 380 last year.
Michael Rulffes, president and chief operating officer of Newark-Wayne Community Hospital, said demographic changes have altered healthcare demands in Wayne County and stressed that physician recruitment challenges are the primary factor behind the proposal.
Community members raise safety concerns
Many speakers questioned whether the closure would place mothers and babies at greater risk.
If approved, most patients who currently deliver at Newark-Wayne would be redirected to Rochester General Hospital, roughly 35 miles away. For some rural residents, travel times could exceed 45 minutes, particularly during winter weather or emergencies.
Residents expressed concern that complications during labor could become more dangerous if families must travel significantly farther for care. Several speakers argued that Wayne County and neighboring communities are already underserved and warned that the closure could effectively create a maternal healthcare desert across portions of the Finger Lakes.
Williamson resident Chloe Freeman, who is expecting her fourth child, questioned whether emergency responders and local healthcare providers would have sufficient resources to handle obstetric emergencies once the birthing center closes. Others warned that the decision could discourage young families from moving to or remaining in Wayne County.
One Wayne County resident told News10NBC that there are already communities more than 45 minutes from the nearest hospital that would offer birthing services after the closure. He said his greatest concern is the possibility of serious complications occurring while families are en route to Rochester.
Workers fear the loss of jobs and services
The proposal has also created anxiety among healthcare workers who staff the birthing center.
Sara Erdeli, an employee at the facility who delivered her six-month-old son there, said the closure would affect not only mothers and newborns but also employees whose careers are tied to the unit. She said many workers could find themselves searching for jobs at the same time if the center closes.
Hospital officials have not announced staffing plans tied to the closure but maintain that Newark-Wayne Community Hospital itself will remain open and continue providing a broad range of healthcare services.
Helming calls for state intervention
The proposal has become a political issue as opposition continues to grow.
State Sen. Pam Helming recently asked Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald to closely scrutinize Rochester Regional Health’s application and explore alternatives before approving any closure.
In her letter, Helming argued that eliminating labor and delivery services would create substantial barriers for low-income residents, agricultural workers, families with limited transportation options and others who already struggle to access healthcare. She also warned that neighboring hospitals could face increased pressure as they absorb deliveries previously handled in Newark.
Helming noted that Seneca County no longer has a hospital and that neither Geneva General Hospital nor Clifton Springs Hospital offers labor and delivery services, leaving Newark-Wayne as one of the region’s few remaining local options for maternity care.
What happens next?
Friday’s hearing does not determine whether the birthing center will close.
Rochester Regional Health must now submit the public comments and hearing record to the New York State Department of Health as part of its formal application. State officials will review the proposal before deciding whether to approve the closure.
Hospital leaders have not provided a specific timeline, saying any closure depends on state approval. They have also indicated they would be willing to revisit labor and delivery services in Newark if physician recruitment conditions improve in the future.
For now, the future of the Marshall Birthing Center remains uncertain. What emerged clearly from Friday night’s hearing, however, is that the debate has expanded beyond hospital operations and staffing. For many residents, the issue has become a broader referendum on the future of rural healthcare access in Wayne County and across the eastern Finger Lakes.
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