Maternity and neonatal intensive care services at the Henderson Hospital are coming to an end later this year, hospital leaders 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 “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 surgical beds in May. It added the change was made to 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 opposing 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 negatively impact high-risk pregnancies.
Mothers and babies will continue to receive treatment 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’s also continuing 24/7 availability of physicians for gynecological medical emergencies and will continue to support all gynecological and breast surgeries.
The existing maternity unity will be converted into 32 surgical rooms, while the NICU space will be renovated to add another 32 surgical beds, the hospital said. The hospital said it currently 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 said.
Maternity, NICU services at nearby hospitals
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.
Trower could not immediately be reached for comment. She said in May that if the NICU and Women’s and Children’s Services department closed at Henderson Hospital, the next closest 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, post-partum and Level II and 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.
