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Birthing Center Closing
Hi All.
I just got a heartbreaking letter from the Elizabeth Seton Childbearing Center where I gave birth to my daugher Charlotte on 5/20/03. Apparently they can't get anyone to cover them for malpractice insurance and they are forced to close their doors September 1st, 2003. This is the only freestanding birthing center in Manhattan. They provide high-quality prenatal care, childbirth education classes, breastfeeding classes, prenatal yoga classes, mommy and me classes, breastfeeding support groups, sling workshops, baby massage, doulas, prenatal massage, a lending library of childbirth and parenting books, and all kinds of other services for the community. They have 3 amazing birthing rooms with a homey atmosphere with hardwood floors, regular beds with quilts, kitchinettes, showers, and big bathtubs that you can give birth in (I did) and a great lounge area for family members to wait. It is the most amazing place, I can't even tell you how warm and friendly and knowledgeable their staff is. Going through my pregnancy with them was like a dream, and the midwife who attended my labor and delivery was a pillar of strength and an endless fountain of kind encouragement. I have met with two different lactation consultants there, who were both very warm and who really know their stuff. Is there anything they can do? Does anyone know of any other birthing centers that faced this sort of situation and somehow remained open? Does anyone know of any lesser-known insurance companies that might be willing to cover them? They say they have explored all of their other options, and none were viable. I am planning to write to them to ask if there is anything I can do to help. I also considered writing a letter to be distributed to all women who are receiving prenatal care there currently to urge them to consider a home birth attended by one of the Elizabeth Seton midwives. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. -V. |
#2
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Birthing Center Closing
"Vijay" wrote in message
snip Is there anything they can do? Does anyone know of any other birthing centers that faced this sort of situation and somehow remained open? Does anyone know of any lesser-known insurance companies that might be willing to cover them? They say they have explored all of their other options, and none were viable. I am planning to write to them to ask if there is anything I can do to help. I also considered writing a letter to be distributed to all women who are receiving prenatal care there currently to urge them to consider a home birth attended by one of the Elizabeth Seton midwives. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. The birth center I'm using had a somewhat similar scare this January. They had to let go of their malpractice insurance, because it was up to 45k per year and the doctor herself only makes 40k per year. She was going to just "go bare" and people were going to have to just pay out of pocket if they wanted to use her or the birth center (she does home births as well and supervised a nurse-midwife that does home births). As far as I understand it, doctors are not required to have malpractice insurance--the two problems with not having it are that health insurance companies won't cover the services of a non-malpractice insured doctor and if the doctor was to have a suit brought against her, she would likely be totally wiped out. Anyway, my doctor went and lobbied at the capital about this, etc. The resolution was that a coalition of OBs in a large nearby city formed their own insurance company and she was able to get insurance through them. I don't how reliable it is or how long it will last, but so far it has kept her in my "preferred provider" directory. (The birth center itself isn't "preferred," but people who use it still just pay out-of-network fees for it, not completely out of pocket). Apparently, this insurance company is a non-profit corp. and is operated as a "mutual or policyholder owned insurer" in accordance with laws such in my state--from what I gather they put all of the premiums into a big fund that they can use to pay any claims with should they arise. They are officially organized and licensed in my state and apparently they are good enough for the health insurance companies to keep covering their doctors. This group only operates in my state (part of how they can offer insurance policies affordably), so it unfortunately can't help your birth center, but I can send you the link to their website if you think it would help at all--maybe your birth center could join up with a similar sort of effort in your state? My state is fairly "backward" about lots of things and has been declared a "crisis state" by the AMA because of its lack of good insurance. There are lots of OBs who have been basically driven out of business here and earlier this year many doctors in the state had a massive "white coat invasion" at the capital where they lobbied and protested for legal change. Anyway, if the docs here can find a solution that seems to be working for them, I would imagine that there may be some similar sort of effort in New York if someone does some digging about it. I really hope so, for your birth center's sake (and for all of the women who won't get to birth there if they close)! HTH a little! -- Em edd 9/23/03 (34 weeks) |
#3
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Birthing Center Closing UPDATE
Here is the press release from the Elizabeth Seton Web site
(www.birthcenter.org). They are also doing an online petition and there is information on a letter writing campaign if anyone is interested. Press Release: Elizabeth Seton Birthing Center to Close Due to Crisis in Malpractice Insurance New York, NY, August 13, 2003 -- The Elizabeth Seton Birthing Center, which is affiliated with St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan, announced this week the closure of the center effective September 1, 2003. Elizabeth Seton Childbearing Center (ESCbC), formerly the birth center at the Maternity Center Association -- the first free-standing birth center in the country -- is being forced to close after almost 30 years of service as a result of the current malpractice insurance crisis in the United States. As a result of having no malpractice insurance, ESCbC can no longer deliver babies at the center as of September 1st, 2003. Letters were sent to every patient informing them of the closure. The birth center staff is in the process of making phone calls to all clients to assist with them with transitioning their care to St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan or exploring alternative obstetrical care. ESCbC was notified by its insurance carrier approximately three weeks ago that its policy, which expires August 31, 2003, would not be renewed. After extensive research it was discovered that options offered by other carriers were either inadequate, required excessive premiums or unavailable. This situation is not unique to ESCbC and has been experienced by other birth centers, midwives and obstetricians throughout the region. Historically, ESCbC has provided not just prenatal care, but care to women throughout their life span. The birth center's philosophy is based on the principle that women have the right to health care that is safe, fits their lifestyle, and recognizes and respects their individual, physical, social, spiritual, psychological and economic needs. As a free-standing birth center, ESCbC is housed in a space which includes exam rooms, multi-purpose rooms (for education and community services) and home-like birthing rooms in a building separate from St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan, the affiliate hospital. The birth center is a not-for-profit corporation organized under New York State law and sponsored by Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers. It is responsible for over 400 deliveries annually. Clinical care at ESCbC is provided by a group of Certified Nurse Midwives, a Nurse Practitioner and Registered Nurses. Consultants such as physicians, social workers, lactation consultants and other alternative care providers enhance the care provided. The services offered at ESCbC include: well-woman gynecology, prenatal care, natural childbirth with water-birth option, postpartum care, childbirth education, and a wide variety of community centered activities (mother's meetings, support groups, prenatal yoga classes etc.) This closure is a situation that is not unique to the Elizabeth Seton Birthing Center, and has been experienced by other birthing centers in the city and region due to the escalating costs of malpractice insurance. The staff of ESCbC is very proud of the many years of holistic, respectful and empowering woman's health care that has been provided in this setting. They are deeply saddened for its clients and feel a great sense of personal loss. |
#4
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Birthing Center Closing UPDATE
Vijay wrote in message
om... Here is the press release from the Elizabeth Seton Web site (www.birthcenter.org). They are also doing an online petition and there is information on a letter writing campaign if anyone is interested. I just wanted to express how saddened I am to read this. I saw a birth at this birth center on A Baby Story once and it did look so wonderful. I am deeply upset by the power of insurance companies to eliminate women's choices on how to give birth. I can't understand why a malpractice insurer wouldn't want to cover birth centers and midwives, since they are sued less often than OBs and hospitals. It stinks. -- Cheryl S. Mom to Julie, 2 yr., 4 mo. And a boy, EDD 4.Sept Cleaning the house while your children are small is like shoveling the sidewalk while it's still snowing. |
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