LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The labor and delivery ward at Mary & Elizabeth Hospital in south Louisville, which was slated to open in the coming months, is being put on pause indefinitely. UofL Health says federal cuts to Medicaid are to blame.

“The recent cuts to Medicaid have changed the landscape for health care services in Kentucky. While the most severe cuts do not go into effect until 2028, we must start planning for that future now,” UofL Health told Spectrum News in a provided statement Thursday. “UofL Health is indefinitely delaying the opening of The Birthing Place at UofL Health—Mary & Elizabeth Hospital.”

Announced in 2022 , The Birthing Place would have been the first labor and delivery department located west of I-65 in 50 years. Metro Louisville also provided millions of dollars f

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