A group of pregnant women, mothers, midwives and community members traveled to Queen's Park Thursday to protest the proposed closure of the obstetrics unit at Leamington District Memorial Hospital.

The closure would mean that women would have to travel to Windsor to deliver their babies at the nearest hospital with an OB unit.

"Our rural community's access to safe birthing is in jeopardy,” says Sandra Dick, an expectant mother. “We deserve to keep our obstetrics services just as those in urban centres do. Our expecting mothers should not be put in the frightening position of driving more than an hour while anxious and in pain, and our babies' lives should not be put at this unnecessary risk."

A group of midwives, doctors, nurses and health professionals in Leamington submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care that would protect local birthing and pre- and post-natal care while enhancing an integrated team-based approach.

They gave the proposal to the Ministry four months before the plans to close the birthing unit at Leamington Hospital were announced.

The community is still hoping for a positive response from the Ministry.

"We have a proposal developed by Leamington's Obstetrical team that was informed by national research and best practice standards that would work, not only in our community but could be reproduced across the province in small and rural hospitals,” says Andrea Cassidy, a midwife with the Midwifery Collective of Essex County. “We are asking the Ministry to consider this locally developed solution."

Leamington hospital CEO Terry Shields says they have a $2 million funding shortfall overall and closure of the OB unit is their best option for balancing the books.  

“It’s going to cost about $140,000 each month to fund out OB and we do not have confirmation from the LHIN that they will help us with those costs,” says Shields.

The Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network board extended the closure date until at least June. It was slated to close in March, but board decided to wait until a report returns from an expert panel.