Please join the women and families of New York City, members of the birth community, supporters of informed birth choices, and advocates of social justice everywhere. Ask the Bellevue Hospital Administration to reevaluate the decision to close the only Medicaid-accepting Birth Center in Manhattan; the closure of the Birth Center deprives low-income women access to Birth Center care that is not only empowering and supportive, but proven to have better outcomes than hospital birth. ___________________ We the undersigned, collectively voice our shock and dismay over the closure of the Bellevue Birth Center. We are saddened that the Bellevue Hospital Administration would take away the only Medicaid-accepting Birth Center in Manhattan. The administration closed the birth center despite the large demand for its services by the community and the outstanding outcomes the center delivered. This unilateral decision by the Bellevue Hospital Center - made without the input of elected officials, public health officials, or community stakeholders - was made without so much as an announcement, an explanation, or an offer of an alternative.
The Bellevue Birth Center provided many low-income women with an alternative to a hospital birth that is safe, comfortable, and family-oriented. A birth center, staffed with highly trained birth professionals, encourages a model of care that:
- Has superior outcomes for mom and baby - Is more cost-effective - Reports extremely high levels of overall satisfaction with the birth experience - Demands the highest levels of respect for women's bodies - Provides continuous, hands-on support through labor and birth - Creates a warm, comforting, homey environment where the whole family can be present - Necessitates fewer Cesarean sections and medical interventions in the birth process - the Bellevue Birth Center consistently had a C-section rate of less than 4%, as compared to the city-wide average of 35% and more than 50% at some local hospitals!
The Bellevue Birth Center provided a standard of personalized and supportive care that is often lacking in a hospital setting. The closure of the Bellevue Birth Center continues a dangerous trend of removing options for women in their maternity care and leaves a gaping hole in birth center access for low-income women.
We expect more from our public hospitals and we urge you to reconsider. We call upon the Bellevue Hospital Center to re-open its birth center to the women of New York City who deserve equitable access to options in their maternity care.
Please join the women and families of New York City, members of the birth community, supporters of informed birth choices, and advocates of social justice everywhere. Ask the Bellevue Hospital Administration to reevaluate the decision to close the only Medicaid-accepting Birth Center in Manhattan; the closure of the Birth Center deprives low-income women access to Birth Center care that is not only empowering and supportive, but proven to have better outcomes than hospital birth. ___________________ We the undersigned, collectively voice our shock and dismay over the closure of the Bellevue Birth Center. We are saddened that the Bellevue Hospital Administration would take away the only Medicaid-accepting Birth Center in Manhattan. The administration closed the birth center despite the large demand for its services by the community and the outstanding outcomes the center delivered. This unilateral decision by the Bellevue Hospital Center - made without the input of elected officials, public health officials, or community stakeholders - was made without so much as an announcement, an explanation, or an offer of an alternative.
The Bellevue Birth Center provided many low-income women with an alternative to a hospital birth that is safe, comfortable, and family-oriented. A birth center, staffed with highly trained birth professionals, encourages a model of care that:
- Has superior outcomes for mom and baby - Is more cost-effective - Reports extremely high levels of overall satisfaction with the birth experience - Demands the highest levels of respect for women's bodies - Provides continuous, hands-on support through labor and birth - Creates a warm, comforting, homey environment where the whole family can be present - Necessitates fewer Cesarean sections and medical interventions in the birth process - the Bellevue Birth Center consistently had a C-section rate of less than 4%, as compared to the city-wide average of 35% and more than 50% at some local hospitals!
The Bellevue Birth Center provided a standard of personalized and supportive care that is often lacking in a hospital setting. The closure of the Bellevue Birth Center continues a dangerous trend of removing options for women in their maternity care and leaves a gaping hole in birth center access for low-income women.
We expect more from our public hospitals and we urge you to reconsider. We call upon the Bellevue Hospital Center to re-open its birth center to the women of New York City who deserve equitable access to options in their maternity care.
We the undersigned, collectively voice our shock and dismay over the closure of the Bellevue Birth Center. We are saddened that the Bellevue Hospital Administration would take away the only Medicaid-accepting Birth Center in Manhattan. The administration closed the birth center despite the large demand for its services by the community and the outstanding outcomes the center delivered. This unilateral decision by the Bellevue Hospital Center - made without the input of elected officials, public health officials, or community stakeholders - was made without so much as an announcement, an explanation, or an offer of an alternative.
The Bellevue Birth Center provided many low-income women with an alternative to a hospital birth that is safe, comfortable, and family-oriented. A birth center, staffed with highly trained birth professionals, encourages a model of care that:
Has superior outcomes for mom and baby
Is more cost-effective
Reports extremely high levels of overall satisfaction with the birth experience
Demands the highest levels of respect for women's bodies
Provides continuous, hands-on support through labor and birth
Creates a warm, comforting, homey environment where the whole family can be present
Necessitates fewer Cesarean sections and medical interventions in the birth process - the Bellevue Birth Center consistently had a C-section rate of less than 4%, as compared to the city-wide average of 35% and more than 50% at some local hospitals!
The Bellevue Birth Center provided a standard of personalized and supportive care that is often lacking in a hospital setting. The closure of the Bellevue Birth Center continues a dangerous trend of removing options for women in their maternity care and leaves a gaping hole in birth center access for low-income women.
We expected more from our public hospitals and we urge you to reconsider. We call upon the Bellevue Hospital Center to re-open its birth center to the women in Manhattan who deserve equitable access to options in their maternity care.
We signed the "Tell Bellevue We Want our Birth Center Back!" petition!
# 1,147:
7:44 am PST, Nov 20,Vanessa Rhee, New York
# 1,146:
7:12 pm PST, Nov 19,Hana Askren, New York
As a doula I feel it is imperative to maintain a variety of birth choices for women from all walks of life.
# 1,145:
5:15 pm PST, Nov 19,Patricia Loomis, Massachusetts
# 1,144:
2:27 pm PST, Nov 19,Jo Anne Lindberg, Illinois
# 1,143:
3:57 am PST, Nov 19,Name not displayed, New York
# 1,142:
1:10 pm PST, Nov 18,Lisa Maldonado, New York
# 1,141:
9:27 am PST, Nov 18,Name not displayed, Texas
# 1,140:
8:00 am PST, Nov 18,Julia Gold, Missouri
# 1,139:
7:09 am PST, Nov 18,Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
Please reconsider closing this Birth Center. For women with uncomplicated pregnancies, natural childbirth is safer and cheaper. Women should have the option to have a natural childbirth in a birth center, attended by a midwife. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to have a natural childbirth in most hospitals. The excessive cost of hospital births puts an unnecessary burden on our already over extended healthcare and Medicaid system.
# 1,138:
8:23 pm PST, Nov 17,Brittany C., Washington
# 1,137:
6:58 pm PST, Nov 17,Adebisi Orija, California
# 1,136:
6:58 pm PST, Nov 17,Jacqueline Candido, New York
# 1,135:
5:15 pm PST, Nov 17,Taylor Winfrey, Florida
# 1,134:
4:54 pm PST, Nov 17,Danielle Garcia, New York
Providing all women with a variety of safe, healthy birthing options should be a allowed especially in a huge city like New York. Please re-open the birthing center at Bellevue to give pregnant women their right to this option.
# 1,133:
2:29 pm PST, Nov 17,Name not displayed, New York
# 1,132:
1:17 pm PST, Nov 17,Ruby Andreolli, New York
# 1,131:
11:14 am PST, Nov 17,Susanna Roth, Germany
I am a midwife in Germany and I am specialized for homebirths since 1981.
Births out of hospitals are safe and support health for mother and baby and even the father.
# 1,130:
5:36 am PST, Nov 17,Sarah Johnston, New York
New York City is the last place I ever thought that a birthing center would be shut down, but it seems to have happened all too often. All women need this option made available to them AND their babies. Please reconsider this decision for the sake of both mother and child.
# 1,129:
5:22 am PST, Nov 17,Sheella Martinez, New York
# 1,128:
5:20 am PST, Nov 17,Tammy Alex, Connecticut
# 1,127:
5:15 am PST, Nov 17,Desiree O'Clair, New York
Women need the birth center. Mothers and babies need it. Families need it. New York City needs it.
# 1,126:
1:20 am PST, Nov 17,Maria Korfiatis, New York
# 1,125:
7:12 pm PST, Nov 16,Jenny Roy, California
I am a supporter of the Bellevue Hospital because of the passion and commitment of my best friend Elizabeth Lang (Loveless). The stories she tells and the passion she has to ensure women have choices and access to good birthing care has made me aware of the impact closing birthing centers like Bellevue's has on the community.
Thank you,
Jenny Yang Roy
# 1,124:
6:05 pm PST, Nov 16,Janet O'Hara, North Carolina
# 1,123:
5:11 pm PST, Nov 16,N Donohoe, Illinois
# 1,122:
5:04 pm PST, Nov 16,Kristen Klein, New York
# 1,121:
4:58 pm PST, Nov 16,Name not displayed, New York
# 1,120:
3:12 pm PST, Nov 16,Cheryl Rye, California
# 1,119:
1:29 pm PST, Nov 16,Annamaria Leiste, Germany
It is every womans right to be able to give birth in a warm and safe enviroment and it is a shame that the birthing center enviroment would then only be possible for those who can afford it.
# 1,118:
11:16 am PST, Nov 16,Jennifer Wilen, New York
# 1,117:
11:10 am PST, Nov 16,Name not displayed, Colorado
# 1,116:
10:25 am PST, Nov 16,Carolyn Keefe, New York
# 1,115:
8:32 am PST, Nov 16,Deidre Moderacki, New York
# 1,114:
8:26 am PST, Nov 16,Elizabeth Gallego-Martinez, New York
# 1,113:
7:30 am PST, Nov 16,Ilana Dzuba, New York
# 1,112:
6:50 am PST, Nov 16,Lisa Piraino, Pennsylvania
# 1,111:
8:41 pm PST, Nov 15,Kathy Loveless, California
It is very important for a woman to have the ability to have a safe natural childbirth in a supportive environment. The closing of the birth center at Bellevue hospital reduces that ability and should be reopened to give that choice back to the patients it should serve.
# 1,110:
8:26 pm PST, Nov 15,Darren Lang, New York
# 1,109:
1:21 pm PST, Nov 15,Virginia Gladwin, California
# 1,108:
7:57 am PST, Nov 15,Tisha Graham, New York
# 1,107:
3:09 pm PST, Nov 14,Renee Chester Levine, Illinois
It is so important for women of all economic levels to have a supported birth - in an alternative place to a hospital. Please reopen the Bellevue Birth Center.
# 1,106:
11:34 am PST, Nov 14,Name not displayed, California
# 1,105:
9:58 am PST, Nov 14,Sharon Oser, New York
# 1,104:
12:52 am PST, Nov 14,Kristina Martinova, Bulgaria
# 1,103:
9:46 pm PST, Nov 13,Lora Garcia, New York
Bellevue accepting Medicaid at its Birth Center has allowed many women to choose the kind of birth that is right for them. When options are limited women are more likely to feel dis-empowered. The way women birth can affect the way they feel as a mother. Please continue to allow a Birthing Center option for those that may feel their options are limited in most areas of their lives.
# 1,102:
8:02 pm PST, Nov 13,Melinda Abi-Nader, New York
I birthed my first child at the Birth Center on August 12, 2009. It was the only place I felt comfortable having my baby. Elizabeth Loveless, my midwife, was absolutely incredible and patient. Nicole, my nurse was encouraging and gentle. I felt so celebrated, that the room was filled with strong women that believed in natural childbirth and believed in me. I was able to walk around and change positions during labor without having to be hooked up to wires. The best part was when after the baby came out, and he was placed in my arms right away. I was holding him and he was still attached to me by the chord! SO amazing. That night, my husband was allowed to stay the night in the room. We laughed at how difficult it was for two college educated adults to change an infant's diaper in the middle of the night. It was when our family truly began, sharing that first night together--just the three of us. I'm so proud to have birthed naturally and so pleased to have done it at Bellevue. Please keep the center open so other women can be supported in their birth choice by the encouraging staff.
