St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in Georgia closes labor and delivery unit

St. Mary's Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, Georgia, closed its labor and delivery unit in late October 2025. Hospital officials said Medicaid cuts were the final straw after months of funding and staffing struggles. The closure forces pregnant women in Franklin County and surrounding areas to travel 45 minutes to an hour and a half to Athens or Greenville for maternity care — a potentially dangerous distance in the event of a complicated or high-risk pregnancy. The decision followed an 18-month process that included efforts to recruit additional physicians, create new partnerships, and pursue incremental funding sources. Key drivers behind the need to consolidate labor and delivery services were changing demographics in the region, physician recruitment challenges, increasing outmigration for labor and delivery services, and recent Congressional cuts to Medicaid. The hospital's emergency department will still be able to deliver babies in emergency situations but won't be equipped to help patients who need a higher level of care.