UPDATED - Point - Counterpoint on support of midwifery at Evergreen

Neil Anderson, C.O.O.
Evergreen Healthcare

from the desk of Neil Anderson, C.O.O. Evergreen Hospital  (Neil's letter was sent to those who wrote letters to the Administration in support 24/7 midwifery at Evergreen.)

Thank you for contacting us about your concerns regarding the change in midwifery services available through physicians on the medical staff at Evergreen. I/We appreciate hearing from those we serve.

We, too, appreciate the services the midwives associated with The Center for Women’s Health provide our patients and families. All midwifery services offered at Evergreen have in the past been provided by a private-practice group and recently, this practice made a decision to evaluate their midwifery staffing model. This resulted in the reduction of the number of midwives in their group from five to two.  Read More >>
 The two remaining midwives will continue to be credentialed and provide care at Evergreen through The Center for Women’s Health a private-practice group. We understand that having two midwives on their team means that this practice will continue to offer midwife services yet are no longer able to offer 24-hour on-call midwifery coverage. These midwives remaining with The Center for Women’s services will continue to perform deliveries at Evergreen.

State law mandates that midwives be associated with a practicing physician to be able to deliver services at hospitals, so the other three midwives would need to associate with a practice before they could deliver care at Evergreen. This is not a new requirement and there have been no changes in Evergreen’s credentialing of midwifery and none are planned in the future.We support the practice of midwifery, and are pleased that Evergreen can continue to provide this option through The Center for Women’s Health. Evergreen will continue to work with our private-practice physician colleagues to evaluate ways to enhance midwifery access at Evergreen. In addition, we also have a full time OB hospitalist on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week to support all our families, physicians and midwives.  Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.

--Neil Johnson, RN, MSA, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Evergreen Healthcare.


from the desk of Anna Starikov, Organizer, Support Midwifery at Evergreen

The COO's statement just reiterates what we already know about the changes at the Center For Women's Health (CFWH) at Evergreen. Read More >>

The changes to the midwifery program at the CFWH leave families planning to deliver at Evergreen without the ability to receive true midwifery care. Patients who want to have a midwife attend their birth, now have an even higher chance of an OB attending their birth. They also no longer can be guaranteed continuous support during labor and delivery -- instead the provider will only be available to "catch" the baby. Finally, it is now even more challenging for patients who wish to attempt a vaginal birth after cesarean. The midwives at the CFWH can no longer support women attempting vaginal birth after cesareans, leaving very few options for these women.
  - Anna Starikov

from the desk of Kay Taylor, Vice President Communications and Marketing,  Evergreen Healthcare in response to letters sent to Evergreen appealing the decision.
Thank you for your support of midwifery for families in our community. Evergreen Healthcare appreciates receiving your viewpoint.  We, too, believe in and support families having choices when selecting care for their birth experience. We value all the teams of physicians and providers who care for babies and their families at Evergreen Hospital.

As you know, the number of midwives available through an independent practice group has been reduced. In partnership with the obstetricians who practice at Evergreen, our obstetrical hospitalist and nursing leadership, we are evaluating whether we could provide 24-hour midwifery care again in the future. While we are working diligently, the process may not be completed until the end of January. During this time we promise to send you updates through the email address you have provided to us, unless you ask us not to. 

Your support is appreciated and again we thank you for speaking out on behalf of midwifery services. We look forward to staying in touch with you on this important topic.

Should you seek additional information or wish to discuss further, I invite you to contact me directly.
Thank you again for your message.

Kay Taylor, Vice President Communications and Marketing   
425.899.2604 & 303.514.5326
Evergreen Healthcare