Samaritan Commits to Trying Alternatives to Keep Birth Centers Open August 27, 2025 After more than 70 feedback sessions and discussions with clinicians, staff and leaders systemwide, Samaritan Health Services is updating proposals for redesigning the General Surgery and Women & Children clinical programs. These updates directly reflect the ideas and feedback our teams shared. “I am proud of how our clinical program workgroups have continued to work through the process of exploration in recent months,” said Marty Cahill, Samaritan’s president and chief executive officer. “I am also very impressed with how Samaritans have come together with innovative solutions to work toward financially sustainable health care. The feedback we received was clear – our teams want to sustain essential services close to home, while finding new ways to collaborate, reduce reliance on temporary providers, and strengthen financial sustainability. The modified proposals represent this shared vision.” After initial exploration in the spring, clinical program workgroups launched an extensive series of presentations and problem-solving discussions across the Samaritan system. After careful consideration of the feedback received and ongoing analysis and refinement of all aspects of the proposed changes, Samaritan intends to move forward with the following: Women & Children, modified proposal includes: Deliveries will continue at all five Samaritan hospitals. These services will be supported within available staffing, with a strong focus on reducing reliance on temporary agency providers. Samaritan will establish a systemwide OB/GYN practice to enhance collaboration and continuity of care, so that services are coordinated seamlessly across our hospitals and providers. Our care teams will be encouraged and supported in continued innovation to sustain delivery services across the region, including partnering with community resources and cross-training team members for broader support roles where appropriate. Progress will be monitored, with reassessment planned for summer/fall 2026 to ensure services remain viable and responsive to community needs. “Our care teams are committed to driving innovative change to sustain delivery sites across the system,” said Lesley Ogden, MD, chief executive officer of Samaritan’s coastal region hospitals. “Though these innovations may not get us to 100% of the estimated financial benefit of the previous proposals, we are hoping the changes will make enough of a difference to make these services viable in each of our communities.” General Surgery, modified proposal includes: Continue General Surgery coverage at all five hospitals. These services will be supported within available staffing, with a strong focus on reducing reliance on temporary agency providers. A systemwide General Surgery practice will be established to strengthen collaboration, consistency, and continuity of care. General Surgery teams will continue to explore innovations and program refinements to maintain sustainable services. Samaritan is also continuing to explore growth opportunities in other clinical programs, including Orthopedics and Urology. “We will evaluate the effectiveness of these measures over time, and we anticipate significant positive impact – in large part because of how Samaritans across the system are collaborating and working together,” said Sy Johnson, chief executive officer of Samaritan’s valley hospitals. In addition to directly impacting the financial sustainability of delivering care in our three-county service area, all of the clinical program proposals are also expected to deliver benefits for clinician recruitment and retention, patient access and quality measures. Visit samhealth.org/SustainableHealthCare for more information about all of the clinical programs Samaritan has been exploring.
