Travis Air Force base hospital not delivering babies right now
Screenshot from a promotional video of the maternity and labor center at the David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base.
FAIRFIELD, Calif. - The hospital at Travis Air Force Base is not delivering babies right now.
On April 8, the David Grant USAF Medical Center's Labor and Delivery put a pause on baby deliveries – a situation that will continue through Oct. 1, because of a nursing shortage.
Hospital spokesman Roderick Tapnio, who communicated through email, said staffing levels after that date "are anticipated to improve" after summer, a routine period when military families transfer between duty stations.
Tapnio insisted that the pause on delivering babies is temporary and that the hospital is "confident these temporary adjustments" will be restored to full services in the fall.
Tapnio described the move as "proactive" and said the hospital is "partnering with trusted network hospitals in the region."
He did not specify which hospitals, or how close they were to David Grant Medical Center, used by military families at Travis Air Force base.
"We understand this change may raise concerns, and we are here to support our patients every step of the way," Tapnio wrote.
He also wouldn't say how many nurses normally work at David Grant Medical Center, how many vacancies they had, or how many babies are born each year at this hospital.
He said he couldn't release more details because of the "operational security considerations."
In a statement, Tapnio wrote: "We are committed to proactive and transparent communication with our patients and community. Our care teams are working closely with each expectant mother to provide information, answer questions, and develop a personalized birth plan, with the goal of providing a seamless transition to alternative facilities."
Prenatal care services at the hospital's Women's Health Clinic and Family Medicine Residency Clinic will continue without interruption, and lactation services will remain available, Tapnio said.
The David Grant Medical Center provides service to 130,000 people in the San Francisco and Sacramento areas.
The timing of this announcement coincides with a report this month by the Military Times, which said the Defense Health Agency is examining military treatment centers across the country to determine whether some should be closed or downgraded from hospitals to clinics, based on staff shortages.