St. Catherine of Siena Hospital losing doctors, to close maternity program Feb. 1
St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown on July 31. Credit: James Carbone
St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown will lose its OB-GYN doctors and plans to close its maternity services program on Feb. 1, according to Catholic Health, which operates the hospital.
Catholic Health and St. Catherine anticipate submitting a proposed closure plan to the New York State Department of Health to cease the maternity services program, a Catholic Health spokesperson said in a statement late Friday.
The decision stems from “unforeseeable circumstances” tied to a new contract for OB-GYN physicians, according to the Catholic Health statement.
“As of February 1, 2024, the voluntary OB-GYN physicians providing maternity care at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital will leave their current employer, and as part of their new contract, will no longer be able to provide maternity care at our hospital,” the statement said.
It’s unclear why the new contract prevents the physicians from providing maternity care at St. Catherine of Siena.
Catholic Health, which operates six hospitals on Long Island, plans to consolidate hospital-based maternity services previously offered at St. Catherine to other hospitals in its system. St. Catherine of Siena Hospital’s maternity unit normally delivered about 50 infants per month, the hospital reported in 2021.
Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip is located 17 miles from St. Catherine while St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson is about 13 miles away.
“Once the closure plan is approved by the DOH, we will work closely with all stakeholders to ensure continuity of care for our valued patients during this transition,” the statement said.
The spokesperson declined to answer additional questions Saturday, saying the earlier statement “is all we can share at this time.”
The union for the hospital's nurses and the state's Department of Health did not return calls for comment on Saturday
St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown will lose its OB-GYN doctors and plans to close its maternity services program on Feb. 1, according to Catholic Health, which operates the hospital.
Catholic Health and St. Catherine anticipate submitting a proposed closure plan to the New York State Department of Health to cease the maternity services program, a Catholic Health spokesperson said in a statement late Friday.
The decision stems from “unforeseeable circumstances” tied to a new contract for OB-GYN physicians, according to the Catholic Health statement.
“As of February 1, 2024, the voluntary OB-GYN physicians providing maternity care at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital will leave their current employer, and as part of their new contract, will no longer be able to provide maternity care at our hospital,” the statement said.
It’s unclear why the new contract prevents the physicians from providing maternity care at St. Catherine of Siena.
Catholic Health, which operates six hospitals on Long Island, plans to consolidate hospital-based maternity services previously offered at St. Catherine to other hospitals in its system. St. Catherine of Siena Hospital’s maternity unit normally delivered about 50 infants per month, the hospital reported in 2021.
Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip is located 17 miles from St. Catherine while St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson is about 13 miles away.
“Once the closure plan is approved by the DOH, we will work closely with all stakeholders to ensure continuity of care for our valued patients during this transition,” the statement said.
The spokesperson declined to answer additional questions Saturday, saying the earlier statement “is all we can share at this time.”
The union for the hospital's nurses and the state's Department of Health did not return calls for comment on Saturday
Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
Protests resume at Stony Brook ... Hempstead sues MTA over congestion pricing ... SCPD graduation ... Sci-Fi renaissance
Protests resume at Stony Brook ... Hempstead sues MTA over congestion pricing ... SCPD graduation ... Sci-Fi renaissance
