Hospital to close maternity, pediatric units

A hospital on Cape Cod is closing its maternity and inpatient pediatric units and making the space available for a potential surge of coronavirus patients, a hospital official said.

Cape Cod Healthcare, which runs Falmouth Hospital, has been considering the move for some time due to a steep decline in the number of births at the facility in the past decade, but the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the process, Cape Cod Healthcare President and CEO Michael Lauf told the Cape Cod Times .

The Falmouth Hospital units will be shut down as of Monday, and they will be absorbed by Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Lauf said.

Nurses who work at the Falmouth units will have an opportunity to apply for other jobs within the system, he said.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association criticized the closure, calling it a “callous decision.”