Closing some River Valley Health System maternity services will not mean further job reductions, hospital officials said Thursday.

Friday, August 25, 2000

Closing some River Valley Health System maternity services will not mean further job reductions, hospital officials said Thursday.

River Valley Health System will affiliate its obstetrics department with two physicians from Marshall University’s School of Medicine to provide child delivery services.

Before- and after-delivery care will remain on RVHS’s maternity floor but the affiliation has caused some staff shifting, said Sue Massie, RVHS director of marketing.

Three maternity staff members retired and the remaining staff affected by the affiliation has been absorbed into other departments at the hospital, Mrs. Massie said Tuesday afternoon.

RVHS had been using contracted physicians for OB services but the hospital wanted more stable care in maternity and, therefore, affiliated with Marshall, officials said.

Faculty Drs. Brenda Dawley and Benjamin Edwards will see RVHS patients in Ironton, performing women’s health care, physicals, prenatal, postpartum and other care locally. Deliveries will be done at Cabell Huntington Hospital. Dr. Robert Nerhood, chairman of the Marshall Department of OB/GYN, will oversee the program.

The affiliation comes in the wake of 25 to 29 layoffs and a home health services cutback this summer.

Hospital administrators and board officials said the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 has forced the cutbacks because the hospital serves a large number of Medicare patients. The federal act has cut Medicare reimbursements to hospitals across the country.