ORLANDO, Fla. — HCA Florida Osceola Hospital’s decision to eliminate its nursery — which prompted dozens of nurses, who argue the change will create unsafe conditions for newborns, to stage a protest last week — is part of a growing trend around the country.
In recent decades, it’s become standard to leave healthy newborns in rooms with their mothers as much as possible — a practice called rooming-in. It’s also referred to as the mother-baby model because one nurse typically cares for both of them. HCA Osceola has embraced this model.
There’s disagreement about whether removing the nursery unit is necessary and whether the same standard of care can be provided without it, however.
