By Chris Post / Editor-in-Chief

Fitzgibbon Hospital will become Missouri Valley Regional Medical Center as its new operator begins reshaping the century-old hospital’s future.

The new name comes alongside a more immediate change for area families. Inpatient labor and delivery services will end Sept. 30, forcing expectant mothers to travel outside Marshall to give birth.

For Taylor Boothe, who delivered her first child at Fitzgibbon and is pregnant again, the closure brings fear as well as inconvenience.

“Fitz is 20 minutes from my house,” Boothe said. “Not being able to deliver there, now I’m having to drive an hour-plus somewhere to deliver a baby, and babies don’t wait when they are ready. So now I’m terrified of delivering on the side of a highway somewhere.”

American Medical Administrators announced the hospital’s new identity after assuming control of its operations earlier this month. The company said the Missouri Valley Regional Medical Center name reflects a broader effort to serve patients throughout central Missouri while maintaining the hospital’s connection to Marshall.

“Missouri Valley represents where we are rooted, while Regional Medical Center reflects where we are going,” AMA CEO Nick DeStefane said. “This new name honors the hospital’s role in the community while signaling our commitment to strengthening healthcare services and building a sustainable future for patients throughout the region.”

The announcement did not provide a timetable for completing the name change or explain when signs, documents and other materials will begin using the new identity.

AMA said Marshall Women’s Care will remain open and continue providing gynecological, reproductive, prenatal and postpartum care. Patients currently receiving prenatal care through the clinic will continue working with their existing clinical teams.

The clinic will help patients plan where they will deliver and provide referrals to surrounding hospitals. Those arrangements have not yet been finalized.

Boothe said continuing to receive prenatal care locally does not eliminate her concerns about delivering elsewhere.

“I was told the clinic would remain open for appointments but just couldn’t deliver there,” Boothe said. “However, it’s a scary thought having a place deliver my baby who knows nothing about me and hasn’t seen me my entire pregnancy.”

The hospital said its labor and delivery unit has experienced financial losses for several years. AMA decided the service could not continue in its current form after reviewing the unit’s performance and the resources required to maintain inpatient obstetrical care.

“This was an extremely difficult decision and one that was not made lightly,” Kerry Noble, AMA CEO of hospital operations, said. “Labor and delivery has been an important part of Fitzgibbon Hospital and this community for many years.”

Noble thanked the physicians, nurses and other staff members who have cared for generations of mothers and babies at the hospital.

The announcement did not say how many employees will be affected or whether workers will be transferred to other departments. It also did not identify which hospitals are expected to accept Marshall patients or explain how emergency deliveries will be handled after the unit closes.

“Our responsibility is to position Fitzgibbon Hospital for long-term stability while preserving access to the healthcare services we can sustainably provide,” Noble said.

AMA described the name change as part of that effort to establish financial stability while expanding the hospital’s regional focus.

“While the name is changing, the hospital’s commitment to the community remains the same,” the company said.

As The Missouri Valley Delta previously reported, Fitzgibbon filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection April 21 after years of financial losses. Hospital officials blamed rising operating costs, workforce shortages and reimbursement rates that failed to cover the cost of providing care.

The bankruptcy court approved the sale of the hospital’s assets to Strawberry Fields REIT and its affiliates in August, with AMA expected to operate the hospital, skilled nursing facility and rural health clinics.

The transaction was delayed after disagreements developed among the parties. Fitzgibbon filed a lawsuit Sept. 2 accusing Strawberry Fields and AMA of failing to complete the agreement. The sale was finalized Sept. 9, ending several weeks of uncertainty about whether the hospital would remain open.

AMA said Missouri Valley Regional Medical Center will build upon the work of the physicians, nurses, caregivers and other employees who have served generations of area families.

For expectant mothers such as Boothe, however, the hospital’s next chapter means preparing to deliver their babies farther from home.

Delta Social Media Manager Ace Grado contributed to this article.