Expectant families in Cecil County, Maryland, have had no hospital in the county where they can give birth since June 30, when ChristianaCare Union Hospital in Elkton closed its Family Birth Center. More than two months later, county leaders say a replacement unit is at least 18 months away, and a free transportation arrangement that has eased the change is temporary.
ChristianaCare says patients can deliver at Christiana Hospital, 13 miles away in Newark, Delaware. UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, in neighboring Harford County, is another option. For many residents, the trip takes longer than the mileage suggests. County Executive Adam Streight told Maryland Matters that, depending on where people live, "on a good day it's a 45-minute trip," and an hour or more from most places in the county.
