Maternity unit to be first Good Sam service to move

Obstetrics and gynecology will be the first major health service to move out of Good Samaritan Hospital, which will close down before the end of the year.

Premier Health, which operates the northwest Dayton hospital, said Wednesday the services will transfer in April to its other Dayton hospital, Miami Valley Hospital.

RELATED: Grandview Medical Center to undergo expansion as nearby hospital closes

The key dates are:

April 9: Gynecological procedures will transfer from Good Samaritan Hospital to Miami Valley Hospital.

April 12: Last day when all deliveries – including scheduled inductions and C-sections – will occur at Good Samaritan Hospital's Family Birthing Center.

April 15: Last day of operations for Good Samaritan Hospital's Family Birthing Center, at which point the unit including all labor and delivery services will close.

As part of the move, Miami Valley Hospital has reopened a unit to make room for additional patients.

Premier said as of now there are no changes to the existing locations for OB/GYN practice offices, only where future deliveries and procedures are performed.

RELATED: Community health center on Good Sam campus here to stay

Premier announced in January that it would be closing down Good Samaritan before the end of the year, transferring services and offering other jobs to the 1,600 employees at the main campus.

Good Samaritan Hospital is one of the last remaining anchor institutions in northwest Dayton, and the controversial announcement to close the hospital has received push back from city officials and residents, including criticism that the move will disproportionately affect black residents' access to health services and jobs.

Premier leaders said at the time that the Dayton-based hospital operator can’t justify keeping open an out-of-date facility that’s on average operating at half capacity when there’s another hospital with extra space less than six miles down the road.

RELATED: Hospital closing a blow, but officials say Good Sam site has promise

The hospital at the corner of Philadelphia Drive and Salem Avenue will be torn down with the exception of the parking garage, with the goal of enticing new development at the site.

Five Rivers Health Centers, a separate non-profit headquartered on the campus, will remain after Good Samaritan is gone.

Five Rivers is a community health center that serves patients regardless of their ability to pay and in light of Good Samaritan closing, the health center is also holding focus groups in March to assess what the needs of the surrounding neighborhoods are.

As Good Samaritan's operations wind down, Premier will update with more details about hospital units relocating on its website.

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