MAGA extremist Rep. Mike Collins refused to answer questions from the press about the planned closure of a labor and delivery unit in his district, according to new reporting from WSB-TV. St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, Georgia, attributes the closure to the Medicaid cuts Collins voted for in the GOP budget law.
Key Quotes:
- Wendy Corona, WSB-TV: A northeast Georgia labor and delivery unit is shutting its doors in 40 days. The hospital says Medicaid cuts are partly to blame.
- Wendy Corona, WSB-TV: Patients will soon have to travel quite a distance in order to deliver their babies.
- Candace McCowan, WSB-TV: When they close their labor and delivery unit in a few weeks they’ll refer patients to their Athens location […] about 59 minutes for expectant moms to get to a labor and delivery unit.
- Candace McCowan, WSB-TV: In a statement the hospital […] said that Medicaid cuts solidified their decision.
- Candace McCowan, WSB-TV: I did reach out to Representative Mike Collins about the story, did not hear back.
- Candace McCowan, WSB-TV: Both Senators Ossoff and Warnock, they’ve been critical of the cuts that led to a decision like this one.
- Candace McCowan, WSB-TV: Now what will happen to the doctors, the nurses, the staff that are impacted by this decision?
- Wendy Corona, WSB-TV: We’ve got to do better in the state of Georgia. There are some counties that don’t have OBGYNs, we’re really lacking when it comes to maternal health, there’s so much that still needs to happen.
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