Hackettstown Hospital To Shut Maternity Department, Move Services To Newton

Hackettstown, N.J. – Hackettstown Medical Center will be closing its maternity department after decades of serving the community and moving operations to Newton Medical Center.

Hackettstown Medical Center, which was fully acquired by Atlantic Health System earlier this year, is located in Warren County and has served pre- and post-natal needs in the community and offers labor, delivery, and recovery rooms along with the ability to perform water births.

“The decision to centralize deliveries for the region at Newton Medical Center was precipitated by the unexpected relocation of two obstetricians whose practices were located in Hackettstown and delivered there. Both physicians are leaving to pursue professional interests out of state. This situation prompted the organization to look at how best to coordinate and strengthen maternity services from a regional perspective. Given the time, resources and challenges associated with rebuilding a program at Hackettstown in an area with an already low number of births, centralizing hospital maternity services was the most practical option for our community,” Atlantic Health System Manager of Public Relations Rob Seman said.

The hospital said it is working with the New Jersey Department of Health to determine a specific date for the shift and has also been working with affected staff members.

“As with any medical procedure, better outcomes generally result with higher volume; combining the volume of delivery procedures from Hackettstown Medical Center with that of Newton Medical Center at one site instead of two will allow us to provide a stronger maternity program overall for patients in the region,” Seman said.

Pre-natal care will still continue at Hackettstown Medical Center, Seman said, but deliveries will take place at Newton.

Hackettstown and Newton Medical Centers are more than 16 miles apart.