Loehr Family Birth and Wellness closing

Loehr Family Birth and Wellness LLC is closing up shop.

The pregnancy care center, 1901 S. Venture Ave., Ste. B, is slated to shutter at month's end, according to a company Facebook post signed by owner Dr. Steven Loehr.

"Last year, just a few months after purchasing the birth center, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and was forced to be away from the practice for nearly 10 months as I fought for my life," Loehr said in the post. "While I was out, we lost a lot of valuable employees and have been unable to hire the appropriate staff to fulfill our mission and properly care for patients.   

"It has become clear that for our patients to have the best outcomes, we must close our doors and help them seek their care elsewhere."

Loehr said he's been "running the business at a financial loss for some time."  

He said in the Facebook post, "Ultimately, we have been unable to compete with the larger health care providers in town to keep enough providers to care for our patients properly."  

The company offers pregnancy care such as labor and delivery, breastfeeding support, doula services and child birth education, according to its website.

Family Birth and Wellness, formed as a nonprofit in 2012, relocated to its current location in 2015 under former leader Mary Walsh, according to past reporting.

Loehr also operates Loehr Health Center.