Urging the Community Health Systems and the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems (UPHS) not to close the Chestnut Hill Hospital Obstetrics Unit.

WHEREAS, On Thursday, April 5, 2007 many Philadelphians demonstrated outside of Chestnut Hill Hospital against the hospital’s closing of their obstetrics unit; and

WHEREAS, The hospital’s obstetrics unit delivers about 1200 babies a year and that this number of pregnant women will have to find other hospitals to have their babies; and

WHEREAS, This would be the fifteenth hospital in southeastern Pennsylvania and the third hospital this year to close its maternity ward; and

WHEREAS, The Frankford Hospital-Torresdale closed its obstetrics unit last June and Jeanes Hospital has announced the closing of their Labor and Delivery Unit on May 31, 2007; and

WHEREAS, The pregnant women who would have had their babies at these hospitals will find themselves in overcrowded conditions with overworked staff at other hospitals that have to take the overload of the closed facility. This result endangers both mothers and new born babies; and

WHEREAS, The Maternity Care Coalition last year described a situation where one hospital ran out of necessary isolates for new born babies when there were many nearby empty in a closed facility; and

WHEREAS, The number of obstetrician-gynecologists and nurse midwives who will practice in the area of obstetrics lessen with fewer obstetric units while the demand or number of babies born in the region has stayed the same; and

WHEREAS, It is well known that the profitability of delivering babies is not high, due to low reimbursements for services and high medical malpractice premiums; and

WHEREAS, In Philadelphia 60% of the babies delivered are paid for by Medical Assistance, which reimburses doctors and hospitals less than 77 cents on the dollar for actual costs; and

WHEREAS, Quality of medical services at the time of giving birth is essential to women’s future long term health and the health of the newborn baby; and

WHEREAS, The bottom line business costs should not interfere with the social interest of quality prenatal, delivery, post natal care and this fundamental aspect of women’s reproductive health; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby urge the Community Health Systems and the University of Pennsylvania Health Systems (UPHS) not to close the Chestnut Hill Hospital Obstetrics Unit.

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