St. Vincent's Closure A Challenge For Moms-To-Be
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One day after it was announced that St. Vincent's Hospital would be closing, some expectant mothers who were 'expecting' to give birth at the Greenwich Village facility say it couldn't come at a worse time. NY1's Anthony Pascale filed the following report.In less than a month, Manhattan resident Heather McGeory is due to give birth to her second child. She planned to have the baby at St. Vincent's Hospital. But with news of the facility's closure, her plans may be changing.
"Now I'm not sure what I'm going to do," McGeory said.
McGeory chose St. Vincent's because it's one of the only hospitals in the city that doesn't require women who have had a Caesarian section in the past to undergo another during the next childbirth.
"It's an unfortunate situation that I might be limited to the type of birth I can have," McGeory said.
McGeory is not alone. In fact, St. Vincent's is where 1,800 women give birth every year. Many say it's because of the many choices offered by doctors at the facility.
Jessica Walstrom, who is ready to give birth any day now, says she doesn't want to give birth anywhere else.
"I haven't had a problem free pregnancy being at high risk at different points in my pregnancy I've received incredible services here both professionally and personally," Walstrom said.
NY1 reached out to other city hospitals including Beth Israel, Roosevelt and Downtown Hospital. The spokesperson for each didn't talk specifically about their maternity wards but said each hospital has already started making plans to welcome St. Vincent's patients. They also say they're prepared to deal with the influx of people.
But some question whether that's really the case and at what cost.
"It has to play into the quality of care when you need a room certain decisions might get made to have a woman exit the room faster than in another place here they really gave women time," said Catherine Stewart-Lindley of Labor of Love Childbirth Services.
Complicating matters for expectant mothers is that just when the hospital will close its doors is still unknown. The hospital is still drawing up its closure plan which the State Department of Health must then approve.