MEMORIAL HOSPITAL TO CLOSE STORK STOPP

Carthage, IL – 9/6/2022 – Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois, will discontinue its labor and delivery
birthing services. The closure of the inpatient labor and delivery unit, called the Stork Stopp, is scheduled
for Thursday, December 1, 2022.
According to the May 2022 issue of Becker’s Hospital Review, the US will face a deficit of 450,000
nurses by 2025. Unfortunately, the nursing shortage has affected many health systems, including
Memorial Hospital. The Stork Stopp requires labor and delivery trained nurses to be in-house, around the
clock, even if there are no obstetric patients. Due to the difficulty recruiting nursing staff and the
dependence on contracted agency nurses, the decision has been made to discontinue labor and delivery
birthing services. While there will be employees affected by this closure, these employees have been
afforded the opportunity to apply for transfer to other positions within the organization.
After December 1, birthing services will be transitioned to Blessing Hospital through the collaboration of
Quincy Medical Group and Dr. Christopher Jones unless the patient chooses to deliver elsewhere. Dr.
Jones and Lila Brooks Fritz, CNM, will continue to provide all of the services they currently offer at
Memorial Medical Clinics, which include prenatal, post-partum, and women’s health. In addition, Dr.
Senthe will continue to provide comprehensive pediatric services.
Expectant mothers will receive a letter of notification via mail. To further assist expectant mothers,
Memorial Medical Clinics will also reach out via telephone by the end of day Friday, September 9, 2022.
“The decision to close the inpatient OB services was difficult and emotional,” said Memorial Hospital
CEO Ada Bair. “Our amazing team of women’s health providers, and pediatric providers will continue all
other services in the outpatient setting. We look forward to caring for women and children of this region,”
added Bair.
Memorial Hospital is dedicated to providing outstanding care, as evidenced by being awarded five stars in
patient satisfaction from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) again for the third year.
Memorial Hospital is a robust and financially sound organization. Memorial Hospital provides a broad
scope of services, including but not limited to women’s health, pediatrics, family practice, internal
medicine, surgical services, nutrition counseling, pelvic floor physical therapy, orthopedics, fitness
coaching, wellness, diabetic services, dermatology, and behavioral health. In addition, Memorial Hospital
collaborates with Blessing Physician Services, Illinois Cancer Care, Midwest Orthopedic Specialists,
Quincy Medical Group, and Springfield Clinic to provide a vast array of specialty services. This robust
team of over 20 medical providers offers services in Carthage and throughout the region.