Swedish Ballard to close birth center on Aug. 31

Meghan Walker Ballard

The Ballard Swedish will be shutting down their birth center on August 31.

The hospital says it will continue to provide pre-delivery obstetric and midwifery services at the Ballard campus, but all deliveries previously scheduled for Ballard will be moved to the First Hill campus.

“Swedish is committed to providing high-quality, cost-effective care to our patients while also adapting to the changing health care needs of our community. Sometimes this involves difficult decisions, but we strive to ensure there will be minimal impact on patient care,” a Swedish spokesperson said in a statement.

16 thoughts to “Swedish Ballard to close birth center on Aug. 31”

  2. They never had an infant ICU setup at Swedish Ballard, so most families I know (including my own) in Ballard chose to drive to First Hill anyways.

    Not very reassuring to know that if something goes wrong you and your newborn will need to be helicoptered across Seattle.

  4. This is a bummer. My wife and I have a baby coming in September and we were really looking forward to being in Ballard. We had our first child at the birthing center 4 years ago, and yes there was an infant ICU there, Spark – we spent 10 days there. The staff in Ballard are great – I hope the move doesn’t involve them losing their jobs.

    Secondly, the casual cruelty and joking, cutting, comments on this site are a major drag. I hope that someday the mods just shut the option for commentary off. It’s a mean, depressing echo chamber on here and I feel like there is a small community of hurtful people constantly lashing out at everyone and each other.

    C’mon people – it’s a small neighborhood news page. Can you save your vitriol for a more random chat room instead of the people who live nearby?

    2. Thanks for your thoughtful remarks. As a former health care provider I echo your comments about Swedish Ballard OB Dept. They really do not take complicated OB cases there. Both of my GD’s were born there and we were very pleased with the care of the Advanced Practice Nurse Midwives. I was present for those births and they went very well in spite of the early birth of one. Doc’s on site if necessary for any complications that might occur.

      Agree too about the comments on this page. The constant mean commentary is unnecessary. I had quit reading until I saw the post about Swedish OB closing and saw your note. Thanks.

    3. Thanks for your comments. As a former health care provider I can speak to the level on care at Swedish Ballad Maternity unit. I was there for the birth of my granddaughter and found there Advanced Practice Nurse Midwive’s kind and highly professional. There were OB doc’s available for any complications. The vast majority of births are uncomplicated.

      I agree to with your thoughtful commentary about this comment section. Frequently it is highly aggressive and unnecessary. I rarely ready anymore because of that. I hope that people can stop.

    4. Something changed in the last 4 years then. We had a baby less than a year ago at Swedish and there was no infant ICU at Ballard.

      Sorry to hear that you had to spend 10 days there, hope everything worked out OK.

  8. When the “Original” Ballard General Hospital opened in December , 1954, I was one of the first babies born there. When I had a tonsillectomy in 1961, I was cared for in the maternity ward there. My first “real job” was in the kitchen of, by then, Ballard Community Hospital. Perhaps, had I not left for Las Vegas, the facility would never have had the “shame” of having been renamed as part of the Swedish Hospital “empire.” Oh, well, hindsight is always 20/20, as opposed to my uncorrected acuity of 20/infinity. Having been away for many years, I am not familiar with the obstetrical logistics of North of the Canal, but I would think that there are other alternatives for said care than a trek all the way to, as it was known in my earlier years, “Pill Hill.”

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