Colfax hospital will keep its birthing center

The Whitman Hospital and Medical Center’s Family Birth Center will remain open.

The board of commissioners for the Colfax hospital unanimously voted Wednesday evening to maintain continued operation of the birth center while working to be compliant with the Washington state Reproductive Privacy Act. The decision was made after officials considered closing the maternity service for being out of compliance with the act by not providing abortion services.

“The Family Birth Center is essential to women’s healthcare services,” Georgie Leinweber, board president, said. “(It provides) invaluable support to expecting mothers and their families in our communities.”

In late February, the board made a preliminary decision to end obstetric services, but it was put on pause after the public and providers voiced support for the birth center.

The Colfax hospital and 26 others in the state were notified by the Attorney General’s Office for being noncompliant with the act. It recognizes abortion as a fundamental right and prevents discrimination against the right of choice, while also requiring that if maternity care is provided, equivalent abortion care must be as well.

The hospital has been offering birthing services to the community since the 1990s. It and Pullman Regional Hospital are the only facilities that offer obstetric care in Whitman County.

Washington state Representative Joe Schmick addressed the board and said, after repeated conversations with the Attorney General’s Office, a solution might have been found.

Whitman Hospital is not alone. Schmick said dozens of hospitals in Washington are out of compliance with the act, and the office is working on a possible compromise.

Schmick said a decision to close the birth center would be “premature.” There isn’t a deadline, and the office is willing to find solutions to keep many hospitals statewide open.

The office may allow hospitals to work with Planned Parenthood or the University of Washington Medicine to become compliant, Schmick said.

Maggie Leland, an obstetrician at the Colfax hospital, said when the board was considering closing the birth center, she was disappointed it seemed the board had decided that obstetrics was “too hard.” Since reconsidering that decision, she said she’s glad the board is taking a chance on the form of care.

“It’s not easy running an obstetrics department,” Leland said. “But this board, this hospital, this community assembled a team that was willing to face those challenges head on.

“I’m really glad you guys (the commissioners) chose to be a part of that legacy and not the ones who shut it down,” she said.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com