Seaside loses trusted labor and delivery unit, reflecting a growing rural healthcare challenge in the Northwest

Seaside loses trusted labor and delivery unit, reflecting a growing rural healthcare challenge in the Northwest

On a recent afternoon in Seaside, Oregon, Heather Murdoch-Medema packed up her apartment, categorizing which boxes would go into storage and which she would take with her to her new home in Portland.Murdoch-Medema has worked as a labor and delivery nurse at Providence Hospital in Seaside since 2023. She moved for the job and fell in love with the small town of just around 7,000 people.“Everywhere I went, if I talked with someone and something ca…

Seaside loses trusted labor and delivery unit, reflecting a growing rural healthcare challenge in the Pacific Northwest

Expecting parents face longer drives for delivery after the closure of Providence Seaside's labor and delivery unit. The closure reflects a growing issue across the Pacific Northwest.