Cumberland Family Medical Center, Inc. for “Women’s Care of the Commonwealth” – Danville, Kentucky

On January 16, 2026, Ephraim McDowell Health, Inc. (Ephraim McDowell) announced the February 16, 2026 closure of inpatient Labor and Delivery Services at Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan Hospital in Stanford, Kentucky. In doing so, Ephraim McDowell unilaterally decided that hundreds of its current Fort Logan patients would be transferred to Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center (EMRMC) in Danville, Kentucky for in-patient care and deliveries. Ephraim McDowell’s decision was made without the knowledge or consent of Cumberland Family Medical Center, Inc. (CFMC), which is the sole on-staff provider of women’s health care services at EMRMC.

The doctors who provide care to Labor & Delivery patients at EMRMC are employees of CFMC, not the hospital. CFMC and its Women’s Care of the Commonwealth (WCOTC) clinics first learned of Ephraim McDowell’s decision to close Fort Logan through Ephraim McDowell’s public announcement. CFMC was not consulted or even notified of the imminent Fort Logan closure before Ephraim McDowell’s unilateral decision was made public.

Since January 16, 2026, CFMC has tried to engage Ephraim McDowell in a productive discussion of how to manage the care of Fort Logan patients at EMRMC. Until yesterday, however, EMRMC has taken the position that the care of Fort Logan patients does not involve CFMC, as it contended that Fort Logan providers would care for Fort Logan patients at EMRMC. Yesterday, four days before the scheduled closure of Fort Logan, CFMC learned that Fort Logan providers will not manage Labor and Delivery at EMRMC, which means that CFMC providers are the only providers at EMRMC who are qualified to manage the care of hundreds of Fort Logan labor and delivery patients per year. This sudden, unplanned increase in patient care responsibilities is not safe for established CFMC patients, and it is not acceptable to CFMC.

When CFMC physicians are on call at EMRMC, they are responsible for every laboring patient who presents to the hospital for care, not just established patients of Women’s Care of the Commonwealth. Ephraim McDowell’s decision shifts the responsibility for care of potentially hundreds of additional patients onto the limited staff of CFMC. Because of Ephraim McDowell’s decision to discontinue labor and delivery services at Fort Logan without CFMC’s knowledge or a plan to support their providers, CFMC is now forced to discontinue Labor & Delivery care at EMRMC for all patients including those from Fort Logan as well as their own established WCOTC patients.

“This is a very unfortunate situation over which we have had no input or control,” states Dr. Loy, CEO of CFMC. “Had we been included in Ephraim McDowell’s decision-making process, we could have worked together to develop a thoughtful plan in the best interest of all patients. Instead, CFMC learned of the Fort Logan closure when Ephraim McDowell announced it publicly and, since then, Ephraim McDowell has resisted our efforts to develop a plan for the safe management of patient care.”

As a result, CFMC and Women’s Care of the Commonwealth have no responsible recourse other than to withdraw from Labor & Delivery services for all OB/GYN patients at EMRMC. CFMC is working with new and established patients to transition their care to other regional hospitals. “We cannot place our patients or providers in a hospital where patient safety and clinical sustainability are at risk,” stated Dr. Loy.

CFMC’s priority now is to safely manage the care of its new and established patients. CFMC and Women’s Care of the Commonwealth will continue to provide prenatal and outpatient OB/GYN services at all its clinic locations. CFMC will work closely with each affected patient to facilitate childbirth and inpatient care at nearby hospitals that have adequate staffing and infrastructure to safely accommodate its patients’ needs.