Arcadia hospital debates future of obstetrics department

ARCADIA, Fla. The DeSoto Memorial Hospital held a special meeting Tuesday to discuss the future of their obstetrics department.

The vote was tied three to three which means the hospital on 900 North Robert Avenue will keep the department for now.

“It’s an ongoing issue that we’ve been having,” said Danyiell Blosser, Director of Marketing at DeSoto Memorial Hospital.

The hospital delivered 279 babies in 2016 and it’s one of eight rural hospitals in the state that still offers obstetrics services, according to Blosser.

But not all taxpayers agree the service should stay.

“We are going to fund a department that’s losing over $800,000 a year and who’s using that? People that can’t afford it. Why would we continue to pay for that?” resident Rob Cadwell said.

Cadwell believes the hospital is a crucial part of their community, but an obstetrics department shouldn’t be required.

“If you got a broken arm or you need stitches or some tests done, it’s a great facility … very good people there and they take good care of you, but it’s not a high class hospital,” Cadwell said.

The closest hospitals with obstetrics services are about 30 to 40 miles away.

“An OB in a small town is huge … it’s huge,” resident Dorothy Smith said. “To lose more qualified doctors and nurses that specialize in that to go somewhere else just to close the department, it’s pretty lousy as far as I’m concerned.”

The CEO of the hospital will present a more thorough plan at the next board meeting to continue the program through the following year, Blosser said.