Friday, March 13, 2009
Done deal
This morning the final decision was made to close the OB unit at BHMH, it will close in the end of May. I am disappointed with the outcome but I know that we gave it our best shot and I don't think there was any more that we could have done in the amount of time allotted. We accomplished a great deal in less than a month; we raised close to $170,000, raised community awareness, forged new friendships, all of which couldn't have been done without all of our friends and supporters in the community and those from beyond. I will cherish the memory of how we all pulled together to fight for what we believed in. Thank you all so much for everything.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Roller coasters and Taffy
NEWS CLIP
Yesterday doctors, midwives and nurses met with administrators who informed us that they thought the OB unit would be able to remain open for a few reasons. They got the message loud and clear, because of the grassroots fundraising and networking, that this was something near and dear to the hearts of many members of the community that they are here to serve. Yay team! Another key factor is an unexpected increase in stimulus money, coupled with the fact that they are beginning to see results from the measures the hospital and staff have been making over the last couple months to improve the financial bottom line.
However, there's more, the decision is not done. The hospital is not out of the woods by a long shot, cost cutting measures still need to be made with or without OB. The problem is that there is the possibility of restructuring some of the support services that need to be in place to practice obstetrics. So physicians and providers are looking at a new paradigm to see if they can work within that. And administrators continue their hard work of looking in very nook and cranny for savings.
My hope is that the decision is not a purely financial one, but one that is based on the demonstrated needs of the community that the hospital is here to serve and is ultimately accountable to. I hope that together we will find a way to be part of a solution working towards compassionate accessible health care for essential service, rather than perpetuating the vast problems of the health care industry by compromising our values and mission by succumbing to the bottom line to save our own financial skin.
Hopefully this roller coaster ride will stop soon.
Yesterday doctors, midwives and nurses met with administrators who informed us that they thought the OB unit would be able to remain open for a few reasons. They got the message loud and clear, because of the grassroots fundraising and networking, that this was something near and dear to the hearts of many members of the community that they are here to serve. Yay team! Another key factor is an unexpected increase in stimulus money, coupled with the fact that they are beginning to see results from the measures the hospital and staff have been making over the last couple months to improve the financial bottom line.
However, there's more, the decision is not done. The hospital is not out of the woods by a long shot, cost cutting measures still need to be made with or without OB. The problem is that there is the possibility of restructuring some of the support services that need to be in place to practice obstetrics. So physicians and providers are looking at a new paradigm to see if they can work within that. And administrators continue their hard work of looking in very nook and cranny for savings.
My hope is that the decision is not a purely financial one, but one that is based on the demonstrated needs of the community that the hospital is here to serve and is ultimately accountable to. I hope that together we will find a way to be part of a solution working towards compassionate accessible health care for essential service, rather than perpetuating the vast problems of the health care industry by compromising our values and mission by succumbing to the bottom line to save our own financial skin.
Hopefully this roller coaster ride will stop soon.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Voices on WERU-Community Radio
Tune in this Saturday, March 7, at 3 pm to WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill or streaming at http://www.weru.org during 'Voices,' the community audio magazine. The 18-19 minute piece features the Save Blue Hill OB campaign, airing interviews with BHMH OB parents, supporters, 4 OB nurses, and midwife Suzanne Norgang! If you miss it, you'll be able to find it in the audio archives section of the website after it airs.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Bottles For Babies
Area redemption centers will collect bottles for the OB Department Fundraising efforts from now until March 9th. So start your spring cleaning and mention our cause when you drop of your bottles. Thank you for your support! Thanks Gisele for organizing this!
The Sedgwick Redemption Center Hours Monday - Friday 8 - 4 Sat 8 - 12
The Union River Redemption Center Hours Monday - Friday 8 - 5 Sat 8 - 2
Northern Bay Market 6:30am - 8pm daily
The Sedgwick Redemption Center Hours Monday - Friday 8 - 4 Sat 8 - 12
The Union River Redemption Center Hours Monday - Friday 8 - 5 Sat 8 - 2
Northern Bay Market 6:30am - 8pm daily
Saturday, March 7 Massage-A-Thon Fundraiser
The massage therapists, body-workers and healing arts’ practitioners of the Blue Hill peninsula, Ellsworth and Hancock County will be holding a Massage-a-thon on Saturday, March 7, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Maine Grind in Ellsworth. This event is part of the effort to help raise $600,000. for the Blue Hill Memorial Hospital’s Maternity Unit. If $600,000. is not raised by March 10, the Obstetrics center will close. For more information, or to participate in the massage-a-thon, please call Charlene Crane at 664-0189.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Abstract from study of rural community hospitals
??Is this where we're heading??
Access to obstetric care in rural areas: effect on birth outcomes.
T S Nesbitt, F A Connell, L G Hart and R A Rosenblatt
Department of Family Practice, University of California, Davis, Sacramento 95817.
Hospital discharge data from 33 rural hospital service areas in Washington State were categorized by the extent to which patients left their local communities for obstetrical services. Women from communities with relatively few obstetrical providers in proportion to number of births were less likely to deliver in their local community hospital than women in rural communities with greater numbers of physicians practicing obstetrics in proportion to number of births. Women from these high-outflow communities had a greater proportion of complicated deliveries, higher rates of prematurity, and higher costs of neonatal care than women from communities where most patients delivered in the local hospital.
Access to obstetric care in rural areas: effect on birth outcomes.
T S Nesbitt, F A Connell, L G Hart and R A Rosenblatt
Department of Family Practice, University of California, Davis, Sacramento 95817.
Hospital discharge data from 33 rural hospital service areas in Washington State were categorized by the extent to which patients left their local communities for obstetrical services. Women from communities with relatively few obstetrical providers in proportion to number of births were less likely to deliver in their local community hospital than women in rural communities with greater numbers of physicians practicing obstetrics in proportion to number of births. Women from these high-outflow communities had a greater proportion of complicated deliveries, higher rates of prematurity, and higher costs of neonatal care than women from communities where most patients delivered in the local hospital.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Belly Up
Joyful Crowd
Henrietta
Stephanie, Tanis, Julie, Chris
The grassroots Bellies to Bellies event that brought our community together yesterday was outstanding. We raised a total of $12,000, half of that just outright donations. The music, dancers, smiling faces and warm hearts were enough to start thawing out the two feet of snow that remain on the ground. I was so moved to see how many people showed up to support us in our effort, thank you for coming, it really means so much to us all to know that you care. It will take a miracle to raise the remaining $447,000 in nine days, but we are achieving another goal here, which is to give our community the chance to support us and show how much what we provide means to you. We hear you loud and clear and we are so grateful for your voices. Here's a link to a video clip of the news broadcast (short insurance ad first).
The fight is not over by a long shot; this is not about our jobs, we love our jobs and what we do, and we all need to keep working to support ourselves and our families, but we are strong and creative women and we will survive. We are fighting for you; our daughters, sons, grandchildren, for our friends and neighbors, for your health care access, for your birthing choices, your birth rights! We still need to keep getting the word out, email everyone you know and have them pass it to everyone they know, write a letter to the editor and send it in tomorrow for this weeks papers, and maybe our miracle will happen.
We need money in hand by March 9, to hand over March 10. If we do not reach our goal we can return your checks, or donate to the general BHMH fund.
Please send a note with your check if you would like your check returned. Thank you for your donation!
Make checks out to: OB - Blue Hill Memorial Hospital
send to:
Henrietta Clews
Blue Hill Memorial Hospital
Po Box 1653
Blue Hill, Maine, 04614
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