A decision to close the maternity ward at Petaluma Valley hospital will cost healthcare giant Providence millions of dollars. Providence is agreeing to pay nearly ten-million-dollars to get out of its contractual obligation to operate the hospital’s birth center, which closed in May of last year. At the time, Providence said it was forced to shut down the maternity ward due to staffing issues and problems with securing anesthesia coverage. Providence bought the hospital from the former Petaluma Health Care District in 2020. One of the conditions of the sale was keeping the maternity ward open through 2025.