Maternity and neonatal intensive care services at Henderson Hospital are coming to an end this year, the hospital announced Wednesday.

Citing decreased demand for maternity care and a greater need for medical surgical inpatient beds, the hospital will no longer offer maternity and NICU services “as of 7 p.m. on or around September 30, 2026,” the hospital said in an emailed statement.

The hospital said it is experiencing significant emergency room volume and admissions, and that emergency room and inpatient nursing units are regularly at capacity despite having added 35 medical surgical beds in May. It added the change was made for several reasons, including a decreasing birth rate and fewer NICU admissions.

“There have been many maternity-related changes in Southern Nevada that affected the need for inpatient maternity care,” the hospital said in a statement, “including a decreasing Southern Nevada birth rate consistent with the national trend, physician retirements, OB office closures and a significant decrease in patients being referred by maternal fetal medicine specialists, thus resulting in a decrease in NICU admissions.”

The closure comes months after nurses started an online petition in May to oppose the closure of the hospital’s maternal services and the NICU.

Henderson Hospital nurse Kim Trower, who organized the Change.org petition, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in May that shuttering those services would affect high-risk pregnancies.

Mothers and babies will continue to receive care before being discharged or transferred to a Valley Health System hospital with maternity services or another facility, according to the hospital.

The hospital said it will continue to provide 24/7 availability of a physician on call for gynecological medical emergencies “that may present to our main emergency department or one of our freestanding emergency departments” and will continue to support all gynecological and breast surgeries.

The existing maternity unit will be converted into 32 medical surgical rooms, while the NICU space will be renovated to add another 32 medical surgical beds, the hospital said. The hospital said it has 338 beds for acute care.

The conversion of the maternity unit and NICU space is estimated to be completed by Dec. 31, 2027.

“This will help ensure timely transitions to new opportunities while supporting proper staffing for the Birthplace and NICU until the last day of care,” the hospital statement said.

The hospital, which is near West Galleria Drive and Interstate 11, opened in 2016. Henderson Hospital upgraded its NICU from a Level II unit to Level III in 2020, meaning it is able to treat premature infants before 32 weeks’ gestation, as part of a multimillion-dollar expansion project.

Karen Young, a registered nurse at Henderson Hospital, said she helped take care of the first baby born there nearly a decade ago. In a text message, Young said she’s committed to continuing her work in the Women’s and Children’s Services unit until it closes and is evaluating her next steps.

“I am heartbroken for the women and infants that will have to travel further to get appropriate care, I am disgusted with a healthcare system that values profits over patients,” Young said. “I am determined to find ways to help women and children in our community.”

The hospital, which is operated by Valley Health System, said it was working with employees, healthcare providers and “all necessary government agencies” for a seamless transition prioritizing maternity patients, staff and physicians.

Approximately 100 staff members will be able to apply for another position at the hospital, or with maternity-related positions at other Valley Health System hospitals including Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center, Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center or Summerlin Hospital Medical Center.

Valley Health System is a Southern Nevada healthcare network owned by Universal Health Services, a for-profit healthcare company with more than 540 facilities and 101,500 employees, according to its website. The Valley Health System operates eight hospitals and several surgical centers, freestanding emergency rooms, urgent cares and other facilities.

A Henderson spokesperson said in a Wednesday email the city was aware of the hospital’s announcement but is not involved with the transition.

“As a privately operated entity, Henderson Hospital makes its own operational decisions, and the City is not involved in the transition, as the City does not provide healthcare services,” the email said.

Trower, who could not be reached for comment, said in May that if the NICU and Women’s and Children’s Services department closed at Henderson Hospital, the nearest hospitals with NICUs are Sunrise Children’s Hospital and St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus — both roughly 10 miles from Henderson Hospital.

But in addition to the hospital’s statement, Valley Health System spokeswoman Gretchen Papez also sent a FAQ that stated the Centennial Hills, Spring Valley and Summerlin hospitals each offer antepartum care, labor and delivery services, postpartum care and Level II and Level III neonatal intensive care units, as well as parenting classes and support groups.

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.