Centinela Hospital Medical Center’s labor and delivery ward closes Wednesday at midnight, leaving a gap in reproductive health care for Inglewood residents.
The closest hospitals with comparable services are between 8 and 10 miles away and take nearly an hour to reach by public transportation from Centinela.
Prime Healthcare, which operates Centinela, announced this past summer it would end maternal child health services amid declining demand for care and after the January childbirth death of a Black woman.
More than two dozen people gathered in Inglewood Monday night at a meeting hosted by Black Women for Wellness to share their concerns about the loss of health care access and brainstorm how to move forward.
“Accountability does not look like removing essential healthcare access,” said Onyemma Obiekea, policy director for the non-profit health education and advocacy organization. “Accountability looks like improving the quality of healthcare.”
About this story
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This story is a follow-up on an investigation published in February 2023. Read our initial reporting on April Valentine’s death and her family’s fight for accountability, including by filing a lawsuit against her health care providers.
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This story talks about the death in childbirth of a pregnant Black woman and disparities in maternal and infant health.
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