Legacy Health receives extended deadline to re-open Mount Hood birthing center

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The deadline for Legacy Health to re-open its Mount Hood birthing center has been extended after its March closure incited controversy in the community.

Legacy Health now has until Aug. 3 to reopen its Family Birth Center at the Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham, according to Oregon Health Authority. The original deadline had been in July.

OHA officials say the deadline comes after Legacy provided an updated plan of correction that addressed issues regulators identified in an April 5 letter to the healthcare company.

Public Health Deputy Director Cara Biddlecom said OHA will review Legacy’s corrective action plan to ensure that it meets federal standards.

“We recognize the progress Legacy has made toward our shared goal to ensure that families in the Gresham area have access to safe, high-quality maternity and delivery care close to home,” Biddlecom said.

On March 17, Legacy closed the birthing center without regulator authorization, citing staffing issues. The medical facility issued a “divert status” to redirect future patients to Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland or the local ER.

However, OHA denied the facility’s request on March 29 because they said diverting did not sufficiently fulfill the needs of patients in the area.

OHA also opened an investigation into the birth center’s closure to determine whether the health care facility met state and federal requirements to receive Medicare and Medicaid payments. Had the facility remained non-compliant, Legacy would have had to reopen the birth center within 90 days.

On April 11, Legacy officially announced the facility’s forthcoming re-opening.

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