Some nurses at Wahiawa General Hospital's birthing center have begun a petition drive to keep the unit from closing and will seek public support at a Wahiawa Neighborhood Board meeting this month.

The hospital's board of directors last week voted to suspend obstetrics services because they are losing money at a time when the facility needs to restructure to bring in more patients and revenue. The unit is set to close within two months.

Yesterday several nurses said they oppose the closure because the birthing center on the hospital's third floor is a major asset to the surrounding community. They said without the center, pregnant mothers on the North Shore will have to travel to Ho-nolulu or Kailua to give birth.

"It's the community that's going to suffer," said Michelle Ogata, a registered nurse in the unit. "The nurses, we can get jobs anywhere."

Lori Hess, an expectant mother in Hale'iwa, said she was disappointed about the hospital's plans and worried how long it would take to get to a Honolulu hospital if she goes into labor during rush hour.

"It's the only birthing center on the whole island," said Hess, who is seven months pregnant and is starting a birthing class at Wahiawa General next week. "I'd actually rather go do that than go to a strict medical center."

Nurses said Wahiawa General's birthing center gives mothers more of a say in their labor and delivery treatment, including requesting natural births in which no epidurals or pain medication are used. The nurses said that patients prefer the birthing center's quiet atmosphere and one-on-one care.

"We have people who their parents and their grandparents were born there," said Tammy Kohrer, a Wahiawa General Hospital nurse.

She said the hospital also serves a lot of people who come in unexpectedly and can't make it to Honolulu to give birth. These include couples from Schofield Barracks who would normally go to Tripler Army Medical Center.

"It's definitely going to be more dangerous for these people," Kohrer said.

In cases where there are premature or problem births the obstetrics unit plays a role in stabilizing patients before they are transferred to neo-natal intensive care units in town, Kohrer said. The nurses said Wahiawa General's emergency room will still be able to take care of unexpected births, but that the specialized knowledge and care at the unit won't be available.

The birthing center averages about 20 to 25 deliveries each month, or about half of what the hospital needs to break-even on the service. Nurses said the unit draws people from the surrounding area and that some people from Leeward O'ahu choose the birthing center because they don't want to travel into Hono-lulu.

Earlier this week, Don Olden, hospital chief executive officer, said the hospital had $700,000 a year in losses related to the obstetrics program and that about 75 percent of area residents are choosing hospitals in Honolulu for their births.

Olden said reopening the maternity services will be considered after the hospital returns to profitability, something that's projected in the next 18 to 24 months.

The closing isn't isolated to Wahiawa General. Some hospitals have closed units on the Mainland because of rising costs and increases in malpractice insurance. Six years ago St. Francis Medical Center-West, now known as Hawaii Medical Center-West, closed down its maternity services, citing increased costs.

City Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz said he is concerned about the closing but wants to get more information.

"It's sad," said Dela Cruz, who represents the area and was born at Wahiawa General. "I think a lot of people are upset."

He said the hospital's problems point to a large issue of access to healthcare for people in rural areas. He said he had gotten calls from constituents concerned about the birthing center's shutdown.

Ogata said she will appear at a public forum at the Wahiawa Neighborhood Board meeting April 16 to discuss the closing. She said all of the unit's nurses had signed the petition and that it also is available in some local doctors' offices.

Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.