Activists ask what's next after Leominster maternity unit closure

LEOMINSTER, Mass. - Despite public protest, and formal requests from the department of public health and Gov. Maura Healey's office, the birthing center at UMass Memorial Health's Leominster hospital closed on Saturday. What You Need To Know The Leominster birthing center officially closed this past weekend Gov. Maura Healey announced a formal review of all maternal health access in the state The Leominster area now considered a "maternal health desert" by March of Dimes The Department of Public Health promises oversight of UMass Memorial Health's plan to ensure patient care According to the March of Dimes, a nonprofit dedicated to maternal health, the center's closure makes the area a maternity care desert, not only creating an issue of time and distance for patients to get to a proper health care facility, but also putting stress on the providers who now have more patients to care for.