Shortage of regional OB-GYN workforce cited as cause for the closure
Samaritan Health Services announced in a press release that labor and delivery services at Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital (LCH) will be temporarily paused beginning Jan. 15, 2026, due to a “significant” regional shortage of OB-GYN physicians that has made continuous inpatient coverage unavailable.
They said the decision follows a series of unexpected physician departures across the valley, including the resignation of OB-GYN physicians at LCH and the simultaneous departure of OB-GYN physicians at another regional practice. Together, the events created a regional workforce disruption that significantly limits available OB-GYN coverage.
Despite extensive and ongoing recruitment efforts – including a broad national search, outreach to physician staffing agencies and independent clinicians, and exploration of temporary coverage options – Samaritan said it has not yet been able to secure the continuous inpatient physician call coverage required to safely operate labor and delivery services in Lebanon.
“Patient safety is always our highest priority,” said Jennifer Kimberlain, vice president of patient care services at LCH. “Labor and delivery services require consistent, around-the-clock physician coverage. Without that, operating intermittently or repeatedly going on diversion would create confusion and risk for families who would not know when it is safe to present for care. This pause is temporary, and we remain fully committed to restoring labor and delivery services in Lebanon as quickly and safely as possible.”
Following review and the recommendation of clinicians, nurses and operational leaders, Samaritan determined that a temporary pause would be the safest course of action until appropriate clinician staffing can be secured.
During this time, Samaritan said it will continue to provide outpatient OB-GYN care at the Lebanon Health Center, located on 5th Street, on a limited basis, expecting that temporary clinician staffing may allow labor and delivery services to resume as early as April 2026.
In the meantime, pregnant patients anticipating delivery after mid-January are encouraged to work with their doctor to select a different delivery location. Labor and delivery services at Samaritan’s other hospitals will continue without disruption.
Support for Patients, Families and Employees
To support patients and staff during the pause, Samaritan implemented several measures including:
- Providing individualized outreach and concierge support to help expectant parents transition care to Albany or Corvallis;
- Implementing safe transfer protocols for urgent and emergent situations;
- Keeping their skilled labor and delivery nurses onsite to assist the Emergency Department with any obstetric emergencies;
- Partnering with the Oregon Nurses Association to explore temporary staffing solutions and redeployment opportunities for Samaritan nurses during this period. Samaritan said no layoffs will occur.
Earlier this year, Samaritan hosted more than 70 community and employee listening sessions and publicly reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining labor and delivery services at all five Samaritan hospitals. They say that commitment remains unchanged, emphasizing this temporary pause is driven solely by patient safety and current workforce realities and is unrelated to the proposed affiliation or earlier service evaluations.
For more information and questions, visit samhealth.org/LebanonOB-GYN.