Overview: Southwest Healthcare Corona Regional Medical Center in California will close its Labor and Delivery Services on January 20, 2026, due to declining births at the hospital over the last two years. This closure adds to the growing number of maternity ward closures across California. The closure of the only maternity ward in Corona has caused concern among residents, who have taken to social media to plead for the continuation of services.
Breanna Reeves
Corona Regional Medical Center is slated to close its Labor and Delivery Services, effective Jan. 20, 2026. The closure of this maternity ward contributes to a growing number of closures across California.
A public notice signed by Southwest Healthcare Corona Regional Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer, Phyllis Snyder, notes that the decision to close the maternity ward was based on declining births at the hospital over the last two years.
News of the closure came in September and some residents took to social media to plead for the continuation of services, noting that Corona Regional Medical Center is the only hospital with maternity services in the city.
In a Facebook post, Corona resident Lizette Navarro, made a plea to community members and local leaders regarding the closure of the maternity ward and urged the hospital’s administration to reconsider the decision to close
“It is with deep concern and urgency that we address the recent announcement that Southwest Healthcare Corona Regional Medical Center will be closing its Labor and Delivery Department. This is not just a departmental change—it is a profound loss for the families of Corona and the surrounding region,” Navarro posted.
“The decision to close this vital unit leaves expecting mothers with limited, and in many cases, dangerously distant alternatives. With the rapid growth of our community, this closure threatens the safety, health, and wellbeing of both mothers and newborns. It disproportionately impacts families without the means or flexibility to travel farther for care and undermines the fundamental promise that every community deserves accessible, comprehensive healthcare,” Navarro continued in the post.
The closure of this maternity ward joins a troublesome pattern of labor and delivery services being shuttered at California hospitals, according to a 2023 analysis published by Cal Matters. At the time of publication, the investigation reported that at least 46 California hospitals had shut down or indefinitely suspended labor and delivery since 2012.
Last August, Hemet Global Medical Center announced the closure of its labor and delivery unit. Though the closure was delayed from its initial October 2024 closure date after nurses protested and voiced their concerns about access to obstetrical care for local residents, the hospital still shuttered its services in January 2025. The decision was also attributed to declining births at the hospital, and physician shortages.