Chester River Hospital Center was notified last week that Anthony Moorman, M.D. and Associates, will stop delivering babies at the hospital effective April 1, 2012. In a meeting with hospital administration on Wednesday, February 1, Dr. Moorman explained that his practice will continue to provide local prenatal and postnatal care to the Kent County community, but that he and his associate, Dr. Lisa Webb, will deliver newborns at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Dr. Moorman also indicated that he intends to continue providing gynecological services at Chester River Hospital. An announcement ad from Dr. Moorman appeared in last week’s Kent County News.
Upon receiving Dr. Moorman’s notification, we reached out to both University of Maryland Medical System and Shore Health System to begin exploring options. While the hospital develops a plan to provide access to obstetrical services, we are making a list of obstetricians available for women who are pregnant and expecting to deliver after April 1. The list includes obstetricians located on the Mid-shore, in both Easton and Elkton, who are currently accepting new patients.
Dr. Moorman and his associate are the only local obstetricians. Chester River Hospital Center, like many rural community hospitals, does not employ its own obstetricians/gynecologists. We provide the facility to deliver babies, but hospitals don’t deliver babies. Doctors deliver babies. We have notified the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of Dr. Moorman’s announcement because without an obstetrician located in proximity, the hospital would not be permitted to provide OB coverage. Finding replacement obstetricians will not be easy, however. On average, it takes 12 to 18 months to recruit an obstetrician. The challenge of recruiting is even greater in rural areas such as Kent County, where the number of births is low. In fact, Chester River Hospital Center has the lowest number of births of any hospital in Maryland, with 183 babies delivered in 2011.
Chester River Hospital’s mission is to provide quality health care to our community and we stand by our mission. If you have any questions or comments, please email Jim at [email protected].
Sincerely,
James E. Ross, President & CEO
Wayne L. Gardner, Sr., Chair, Board of Directors
Chester River Health System
Karen O'Connor says
The community needs to understand that the actions of several members of the medical staff contribute to the decrease in services to the community. Healthcare delivery has changed dramatically over the past 10 years and will continue to do so. One fact remains: if physicians do not use hospitals , hospitals will not survive. To expect otherwise is unrealistic.
The reimbursement models in place now reward quality, and quality depends on volume. As with pediatrics, the number of admissions has decreased over the past 10 years to a barely sustainable volume. Unfortunately the days when several services can be “loss leaders” are well behind us and this has been unpalatable to many of our physicians.
In the long run, many who have provided services here and made good livings are turning away from this community and blaming outside forces. The situation is far more complex than is presented and UMMS is not the bogey man. Had we not associated with them or some other system, Chester River Hospital Center would already be gone. Instead, we are assured of the availability of acute care inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic services from the same friends , relatives and neighbors,in an institution that has been providing care here for over 75 years.
Gerry Maynes says
Its a shame the community is poorer for the loss. It seems a long way to go to Easton, or Annapolis or to Christiana nd Delaware to deliver a child. I guess iits a sign of the times. God bless the mothers and the little ones. Gerry Maynes
Anne Harris says
For various reasons, it is not unusual for some women in local communities to seek obstetrical services elsewhere. It is always the right of the patient to select the venue for care. Equally as important, it is the ultimate duty of any hospital to ensure that patients in their market area get the best care possible. This means that patients will sometimes need to be sent to a facility better equipped to handle the particular problem involved. It should go without saying that this patient duty supercedes the needs of the hospital or doctor(s) involved. Perhaps each of us should consider what we personally want from Chester River Hospital Center and share that information during the community meeting happening at this time.
Ian Sei says
“We provide the facility to deliver babies, but hospitals don’t deliver babies. Doctors deliver babies. ” There is something faulty with this statement. No, sir, babies are delivered in hospitals, at least this is the practice in the US. 183 kids sounds small as a statistic but these kids and these moms are not statistics, they are in your community. Yes, this community is small, and it will become smaller if it does not count with the proper infraestructure. This type of non-collaborative dynamics between MDs and Hospitals contribute ultimately to the town’s demise and utter isolation. Kudos for not trying to do better. Sincelrely, A pregnant woman giving birth after April 1st who wanted to stay in Chestertown and pay county taxes.
Linda S says
There has certainly been alot of commentary in the local news lately regarding Chester River Hospital Center. As an employee of this facility, I would simply like to offer my perception relating to the recent events. I worked at a city hospital for 12 years, and I have worked now at CRHC for almost 14 years. I can say without any doubt that the staff there do strive to provide the best care and service for the members or our community. Nurses, radiology techs, lab, pharmacy, food service, housekeeping, etc – each one does what they can to ensure that the service they provide to our patients and families is the best. I have worked in most every nursing unit in the hospital and I have witnessed as well as been the recipient of this level of care. Yes, people will hear mixed reviews. That is true of ANY facility, be it small community or big city hospital. It is unrealistic to expect that 100% of hospital visitors will have the “perfect” experience. We are humans, not robots. I simply ask the community to recognize that we are continuing to provide the best possible care in the services that remain available.
We do still provide care for pediatric patients in the emergency room, and if needed, these children will be transferred to tertiary facilities to receive a higher level of care. Otherwise, these patients are discharged home, to follow up with their pediatrician. Obstetric patients are still being seen. This is the same scenario for those in Dorchester County – they must often travel to Easton or to Salisbury for pediatric or obstetric service.
The administration of the hospital has attempted to reach out to the community and answer questions during the “forums” held. Still, there have been many speculations based on rumors. Can we please be willing to get the facts and not jump to false conclusions? The heart of this hospital is the people who work there and the community we serve.