ChristianaCare Union Hospital Announces Closure of Family Birth Center

ELKTON, MD - Effective June 30, ChristianaCare will close the Family Birth Center at Union Hospital. This decision reflects long-term changes in the community and is designed to ensure patients receive safe, high-quality care that reflects the evolving health needs of the community.

“We know how important it is for families to have access to care close to home and this was not a decision we made lightly,” said Joan Pirrung, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, president of ChristianaCare's Cecil County Campus. “Following months of close market assessment and industry analysis, we recognize that our community is aging. At the same time, high-risk pregnancies are increasing with a decline in lower-acuity births. Most families are best served at a larger hospital with the full range of capabilities including neonatal intensive care. Many families today are already choosing to have their childbirth at the ChristianaCare Center for Women’s & Children’s Health in Newark, Delaware, or at another Maryland facility.”

National workforce shortages also have made it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain obstetricians and pediatricians, especially in smaller and rural communities. Maintaining a labor and delivery unit requires consistent patient volumes, specialized staffing and the resources needed to ensure safe, reliable care.

Responding to the changing needs of Cecil County

The population of Cecil County is aging, with those over age 65 expected to increase by 20% over the next five years, driving the need for different types of healthcare services.

“This closure creates opportunities for ChristianaCare to expand our support for Cecil County in areas where healthcare needs are growing. This includes cardiology, gastroenterology, gynecology and urology,” said Pirrung.

Specific plans for repurposing the Family Birth Center space have not yet been decided.

What this means for patients

ChristianaCare’s Cecil County Campus will support mothers and babies for their outpatient care before and after childbirth. Following the closure, prenatal and postpartum care will continue through our ChristianaCare Obstetrics & Gynecology outpatient practice in Elkton. For labor and delivery needs, patients will have options to choose care at a neighboring site, including Christiana Hospital, located 13 miles away.

“Our main goal is to provide the same high-quality care that patients have come to expect. This change allows us to continue to offer the same local prenatal and postpartum care while connecting those patients who require more complex care to Christiana Hospital with advanced specialists and additional resources,” said Dr. Arsalan Sheikh, D.O., MBA, FACE, chief medical officer at ChristianaCare Union Hospital.

Patients should reach out to their current providers for any details related to transition services and to ensure the continuity of care for any delivery needs.

Commitment to caregivers and community

ChristianaCare will continue to invest in the Cecil County Campus and the broader community. Over the past several years, ChristianaCare has expanded capacity and added new physicians in cardiology, pulmonology, endocrinology, behavioral health and primary care. Union Hospital has implemented new models of care and efficiencies since it became part of ChristianaCare in 2020.

Those changes have been noticed by patients as well as national organizations. In 2026, Union Hospital has earned Healthgrades’ Patient Safety Excellence Award for the second year in a row and maintains an ‘A’ grade from the Leapfrog Group, which rates hospital quality and safety.

“We remain deeply committed to serving the Cecil County community,” said Janice Nevin, M.D., MPH, president and CEO of ChristianaCare. “We’re excited about the investments we’re making to strengthen access to care across our system, including primary care—which is the preventive care people need to stay healthy and avoid the need for emergency and inpatient hospital care.”

ChristianaCare is committed to supporting its caregivers impacted by this transition. Team members will have opportunities to continue their careers within the hospital or across the broader health system.

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