Nurses to protest at DC hospital over plan affecting care for mothers and newborns

WASHINGTON - Several registered nurses are protesting over the planned consolidation of postpartum services at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, D.C.’s largest private, not for profit hospital.

What we know:

FOX 5’s Stephanie Ramirez reports the issue involves postpartum Unit 5F, where registered nurse Ingrid Guardado‑Cruz says the plan would eliminate 11 maternal health beds by July 26. She noted that one in three babies born in D.C. is delivered at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

The nurses union, National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, which represents more than 2,200 nurses at the hospital, is organizing the demonstration.

Ramirez said FOX 5 reached out to MedStar. In a statement, spokesperson So Young Pak said the hospital’s commitment to the community "has not changed" and that MedStar will continue providing "safe, high-quality care for mothers and babies in our community."

Pak also said the hospital is facing financial pressures and declining birth rates, and that post‑partum services are being consolidated "to better match resources with volumes." 

Ramirez said that a March 2026 District of Columbia Hospital Association utilization report reflects those trends.

Ramirez said officials told her that 18 post‑partum beds will remain at the hospital and that the number is sufficient to meet patient needs.