Copyright CBS News
Corewell Health is responding to pressure from Michigan lawmakers over plans to close its labor and delivery unit at Wayne Hospital. Michigan Democratic Congresswomen Debbie Dingell and Rashida Tlaib sent a letter Monday to Corewell Health Southeast President Lamont Yoder, urging Yoder and the health group's board of directors to keep the Wayne labor and delivery unit operational. "Corewell Health Wayne Hospital has served residents across Wayne County, including constituents from both of our districts, for decades," the lawmakers wrote in the letter." A Corewell Health spokesperson confirmed that the health care group is evaluating its labor and delivery unit at Wayne Hospital. "In the Wayne and surrounding communities, we are finding parents are choosing to deliver their babies at our nearby sites, such as Dearborn, which have more comprehensive labor and delivery programs," said Corewell Health senior director of communications Mark Geary in a statement. "We have a responsibility to provide the highest quality of care for all our patients, and we are evaluating our Wayne labor and delivery program. Regardless of where patients deliver their baby, we remain committed to providing excellent OBGYN care for the Wayne community." Corewell Health Wayne Hospital was previously associated with Beaumont Health, which, at one time, was Southeast Michigan's largest health care system before it merged with Spectrum Health in West Michigan to create Corewell Health in 2022. In their letter to Corewell Health, Dingell and Tlaib noted that Corewell Health Wayne Hospital has been a "critical provider of obstetrical and gynecological services" and was previously recognized as one of the "Best Hospitals for Maternity Care" in 2021. "Patients, many of whom already come from at-risk communities, would have to seek care from other health systems miles away who are likewise under tremendous strain. Not to mention, Corewell plays a vital role in training the next generation of residents in obstetrical care. Should residents be required to train at alternative locations, our region may lose this important workforce we need to retain in our community," the Democratic lawmakers wrote. Corewell Health Wayne Hospital has been serving patients since 1957 and is the only hospital in the Canton, Garden City, Inkster, Romulus, Wayne and Westland area that is verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level III Trauma Center, according to Corewell Health.
