Moms-to-be and their doctors at Boulder Medical Center (BMC) are separated from the delivery rooms in Boulder Community Health’s Foothills Hospital by a few hallways. But when it comes time to deliver the babies they have been caring for, mom, baby and doctor will have to head to Longmont to do it.

Earlier this month, BMC decided to stop delivering at Foothills. All births for patients of BMC now take place at Longmont United Hospital’s (LUH) BirthPlace, while the obstetrics/gynecology clinic and services will remain at Foothills, operated by Boulder Community Health (BCH).

A spokesperson for BMC said the decision was driven by the shifting population demographics in Boulder County.

“Boulder is aging; you don’t see a lot of young families here,” said Julia Stephens, marketing director. “The growth is really more east, and we have an opportunity and flexibility to serve where we’re needed most.”

The move was part of an expansion into Longmont, Stephens said, and an additional doctor was added to the team. The independent physician practice has 10 OB/GYN providers across three clinics in Boulder, Longmont and Louisville.

Stephens said the team only has capacity to deliver at one hospital, owing to the need for a 24/7 on-call physician in addition to staffing for normal clinic hours. No other services are being reduced in Boulder aside from delivery, she said.

Pregnant patients who receive prenatal care at BMC in Boulder will face a choice when it comes time to give birth: travel to Longmont or transfer to Boulder Women’s Care, which joined BCH in January.

BCH spokesman Richard Sheehan said 64 BMC patients have transferred to Boulder Women’s Care since the Aug. 1 change, though Stephens said only half have transferred. BCH is looking to add two obstetricians and two midwives to accommodate the anticipated growth in the practice.

“We understand that this is difficult for some of our patients (and) that some of our patients will not choose to stay with our providers because they want to deliver in Boulder or for other reasons,” she said. “This expansion is about more than growth though; it’s about being able to continue offering the high level of care that our OB/GYN group wants to provide for our patients.

“The group is very pleased with the quality of the LUH birthing facility and with the support that they and their patients receive from the LUH staff.”

Jenny Jurek, a new Boulder mom, delivered her first child last summer at Foothills with a BMC physician, Dr. Heather Hoffmeyer. She and her husband intend to have a second child, and said traveling to Longmont to do so would be an added inconvenience in an already stressful time.

“I feel it’s not putting the patients first,” Jurek said. “But I’m not willing to leave my doctor.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrected identified the health facility in Longmont. It is Longmont United Hospital.

Shay Castle: 303-473-1626, castles@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/shayshinecastle