Residents concerned about future of services at Upper River Valley Hospital

Horizon Health backtracked over the weekend on a decision to close the labour and birth unit at the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville, N.B. 

While it's a relief to many to have the services continued at the hospital, the situation has the community concerned about the future.

Meg Watson moved to the area last month from Ontario with her husband and two boys. 

The family doesn't have any roots in the province and bought a house in Johnville to be within a 30-minute drive of the hospital that opened in 2007.

Friday night, Horizon Health issued a news release to say it was "implementing a long-term solution to ensure expectant mothers from the Upper River Valley area have access to reliable, safe and quality care during labour and birth."

The solution was to transition labour and birth services from Waterville to Fredericton — 117 kilometres away. 

Watson, who is near the end of her first trimester, was shocked.

"It's unsettling, it's nerve-racking, it's scary, it's long travel, it's costly," Watson said Sunday. "And, it just seems unnecessary."

But twenty-two hours after the initial announcement, Horizon reversed its decision and said that labour and birth services would continue at the Upper River Valley Hospital. 

The health network wouldn't commit to a timeline for the services to be restored, only to say it would be a matter of weeks.

It is welcome news in the community. But the whole situation has left Watson and others worried about the future of the hospital.

"There is no rhyme or reason of why they would make such a rash decision," she said.

Watson said she's concerned that Saturday's reversal could be just to calm the community after Friday night's announcement.

"They could just be saying what they think we all want to hear," she said. "It's along the lines of the boy who cried wolf — what do we believe at this point and what can we not believe?"

Woodstock Mayor Arthur Slipp agrees with Watson. He said Horizon Health has instilled fear in the community.

"It certainly raised the alarm in the community that other services at the Upper River Valley Hospital could be in jeopardy in the future," Slipp said.

He said the community was blindsided by the announcement.

"We're concerned. If a decision can be made without any consultation and no forewarning to the communities in the Upper Valley, what's to prevent a similar kind of decision being made tomorrow on another service."

Watson is expecting her third child in May and she said she's still not sure what the current situation means for the delivery.

She's concerned that she will have to spend the winter on the road to Fredericton, more than 90 minutes away from her home. 

Watson is hoping the community will hold Horizon Health accountable in the coming weeks until the services are fully restored, and confidence is instilled in the area again.

"As a community … we deserve some answers, some truthful answers, to know that [the] health and safety of ourselves and our unborn children is top priority."

No one from Horizon was available to explain the decision over the weekend.

The health authority had announced a temporary closure at the labour and birth unit last month because resources had to be diverted due to COVID-19.