LABOR AND DELIVERY SERVICES TO EVENTUALLY CONTINUE AT BAYLOR SCOTT AND WHITE
While labor and delivery services remain closed at Brenham’s Baylor Scott and White Medical Center, officials say they will continue.
The Labor and Delivery Department at Baylor Scott and White in Brenham closed December 10th, following Dr. Aaron Campbell, the only certified OB/GYN at the hospital, going on medical leave.
The hospital has been searching for physicians to help temporarily in the labor and delivery unit, while it continues to look for permanent hires. Officials said these recruitment efforts began around eight months ago.
Baylor Scott and White Board Chair Shirley Herring said the board, at a meeting last week, voted unanimously to set short- and long-term goals to continue service for mothers and families in the community. She said the hospital is using its internal resources from all hospitals, as well as outside search firms that primarily work with rural areas.
In the short-term, the hospital is looking to find Dr. Campbell temporary support, while it will seek to hire an additional three permanent OB/GYN physicians in the long run. According to Herring, the process takes several months, including a lengthy credentialing period.
In addition, Herring said the hospital will seek support from local officials and businesses in the community. She said members of the community, as well as the Washington County Chamber of Commerce have reached out to help put a process in place, to recruit and retain OB/GYN support.
Herring said these plans will likely be acted upon after the start of the new year, since they were recently put into place, in the middle of the holiday season.
Herring noted that Dr. Campbell is a private provider, not directly employed by Baylor Scott and White. That being the case, it will be his decision whether to return to serve at the hospital, but she says they are “very hopeful” he will return.
Currently, expectant mothers are still being asked to make arrangements at other hospitals, while the hospital continues to explore avenues for temporary and permanent coverage.
The board met in November to consider permanently closing the Labor and Delivery Department. According to a release from Baylor Scott and White’s College Station Region President, Jason Jennings, the hospital evaluated these services based on several factors. These included the recent staffing changes at the hospital, such as the death of Dr. Wylie Nobles, the low number of births at Brenham’s facility, and the stated trend of mothers leaving Brenham to deliver at other hospitals.