August 30, 2022

Covington birth center closure

MultiCare Covington Medical Center’s Family Birth Center will be closing as of September 28, 2022.

Bringing labor and delivery services to Covington was a key program when planning MultiCare Covington Medical Center more than a decade ago. However, demand for these services at this location has remained low since its opening in 2018. The birth center was planned to support 1,100 births per year. Since opening, however, it has averaged less than 400 births per year.

This closure should have minimal impact on patients in the community. Families in Covington and other South King County communities still have local labor and delivery options available, including MultiCare Auburn Medical Center’s Family Birth Center, just 9 miles away from Covington.

MultiCare Covington OB/GYN Clinic and MultiCare Women’s Health – Covington are not impacted by this closure. They will remain open and continue to serve their patients as usual.

The closure will impact 25 MultiCare employees, as well as 10 staff working on a contract basis (travelers). MultiCare has many current OB job openings across the Puget Sound, including openings in the South King County Region that those employees affected by this closure may apply to. The traveler staff’s contracts will end on September 28, 2022.