Another GA Hospital to Shut Down Labor and Delivery Unit Due to Trump’s $1 Trillion Cut to Medicaid, Forcing Women to Drive an Extra Hour for Care Arrow

St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in rural northeast Georgia announced that it is shutting down its labor and delivery unit due to the $1 trillion Medicaid cut Donald Trump championed and every Georgia Republican supported. When seconds matter, women in the region will now have to drive an extra hour to get care.

Republicans' cuts to Medicaid will have devastating consequences for every Georgian, especially rural Georgians. The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform found that 20 of the state's 71 rural hospitals are at risk of closure due to Republican cuts to Medicaid.

That's why this week, Democrats are using their leverage in Congress to fight to reverse these cuts to Medicaid and ensure health care is reliable and affordable for all Georgians.

In response to Georgia rural hospitals being forced to scale back operations because of Trump's Medicaid cuts, DNC Deputy Executive Director Libby Schneider released the following statement today:

"Donald Trump's billionaire-first budget is a slap in the face to every rural Georgian. Because of Trump's $1 trillion cut to Medicaid, which every single Georgian Republican voted for, women in rural Georgia will now have to drive an extra hour to receive care when every second matters. And this is just the tip of the iceberg - with Medicaid cuts on the horizon, 20 rural hospitals in Georgia are at risk of closing. That's why, as we speak, Democrats are fighting to reverse these cuts to Medicaid and ensure rural Georgians have the care they deserve in the communities they call home."

Read more below:

Georgia Recorder: Rural Georgia hospital plans to close its labor and delivery unit, in part due to Medicaid cuts

[Maya Homan, September 17, 2025]

• St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in rural northeast Georgia will discontinue its maternal health services next month as its parent company moves to consolidate OB/GYN services to one location, the hospital announced last week. The decision will affect the hospital's labor and delivery unit as well as Clear Creek OBGYN, a separate center which provides reproductive care for patients at all stages of life. […]

• "This decision follows an extensive 18-month discernment process that included intensive efforts to recruit additional physicians, create new partnerships, and pursue incremental funding sources," St. Mary's, which is owned by Trinity Health Georgia, said in a statement. "Changing demographics in our region, physician recruitment challenges, increasing outmigration for labor and delivery services, and recent Congressional cuts to Medicaid solidified this decision." […]

Pregnant patients in at least four Northeast Georgia counties will now be transferred to other facilities within the St. Mary's Healthcare System, such as St. Mary's Hospital in Athens, which is over an hour from Lavonia by car. […]

• Other hospitals in Georgia are also discussing scaling back services, citing federal cuts to Medicaid. Evans Memorial Hospital, which closed its labor and delivery services in 2010, is now contemplating closing down its Intensive Care Unit due to a $3.3 million budget shortfall.