Sutter Solano to close maternity ward in May

VALLEJO – Citing a low number of births at its facility, Sutter Solano Medical Center will close its maternity ward in May, according to a Feb. 9 letter sent by hospital CEO Abhishek Dosi to the California Department of Public Health.

Dosi said the hospital averages about eight to nine weekly deliveries for a ward which has 30 perinatal beds. The closure of the Labor and Delivery Services Department will also include the elimination of 37 jobs, Dosi confirmed in his letter.

“Please be aware that Sutter Solano is committed to working with impacted staff to offer retraining opportunities within Sutter Solano or finding open positions in the Sutter Health network and in the region as potential alternatives where possible,” he wrote.

Closure of Sutter’s maternity ward on May 10 will leave just Kaiser Permanente Vallejo as the only comparable labor and delivery services department in the city. Dosi noted that besides Kaiser, Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez, and North Bay Medical Center in Fairfield are also the nearest facilities with comparable maternity wards.