Trying to shave its operating deficit, BJC Medical Center is closing its labor and delivery services, leaving three doctors scrambling to make alternative arrangements for patients.
“December 9 is the absolute last day we will deliver a baby,” announced CEO Jim Yarborough.
The cutback includes closing Commerce Women’s Clinic, a hospital-owned OB practice run by Dr. David Sauls, whose contract with BJC expires Dec. 9. The move will also bring to an end the delivery of babies by doctors Bob Marshburn and Beth Sullivan.
Marshburn of Medical Center Family Practice understands the problem.
“It’s tough to keep an OB wing open with the nurses and high-tech equipment if you’re not delivering a volume of babies that justifies it,” he said.
Both Marshburn and Sauls also predicted that closing the OB service at BJC will lead to cases where women show up at the emergency room in labor.
“You can have the EMS divert, but you’re always going to have somebody who just drives up in labor,” Sauls said. “You’re bound by laws. You can try to transfer them, but if you can’t find a hospital to accept them, you have to deal with it here.”
Yarborough said closing the OB unit could trim the hospital’s deficit by $500,000 to $750,000, Yarborough explained.
“We can no longer sustain OB services based on reimbursements,” said Yarborough, who added that the hospital would have to deliver 300 babies a year - with an appropriate Medicaid mix - to break even. Last year it delivered 66.
The move eliminates 12 positions at the hospital, but Yarborough speculated that some of those employees will be absorbed into other positions where vacancies exist.
BJC was struggling financially before the current economic slump hit. It lost its general surgeon and has seen its percentage of indigent care and charity care cases rise as the economy worsened.
“We’re having to cut costs,” said the CEO. “We can only cut so much staff until we cut services. We’ve had to cut a service that is not self-supporting.”
I have lived in the Banks-Jackson area since 2001. I believe we should support our local businesses, services, and charities. I believe so strongly in this, that I have supported our local hospital, BJC Medical Center, and asked others to do so as well because after having met most of the staff, I believed them to be well educated, wonderfully supportive, and ready to provide the basic services all of the citizens of this area need. I believed so strongly in this, when I had the opportunity to work in Atlanta for twice the salary, I declined and took a job at BJC Medical Center on the Pharmacy staff.
After working there for 3 years, I became pregnant, and began looking for a doctor. I found Dr. David Sauls and his nurse, Melinda Ragan at the Commerce Women’s Clinic. I found Dr. Sauls to be a wonderful man and doctor. Nurse Ragan always went above and beyond her call of duty and provided health support as well as emotional support. Sadly, we lost our son due to premature birth. BJC did not offer preemie care at that time and Dr. Sauls, just as emotional as my husband and I, found a doctor and another hospital that offered preemie care in the middle of the night for us to go to. The staff at this other hospital were friendly, but just did not offer the emotional support and as wonderful care as Dr. Sauls and Nurse Ragan. I continued to work there for a little longer, but as changes started, I felt I had to find employment else where.
Ever since this new management group took over, the Authority has forgotten something. BJC Medical Center was founded for the people of this community, thus the name: Banks-Jackson-Commerce Medical Center. I can state this for a fact because the medical center’s own website, compliments of its CEO, Mr. Yarborough, states: “The Authority Hospital was founded in 1960 by a group of concerned citizens to establish, build, maintain, manage, and operate a hospital and nursing facility for the general welfare of the citizens of Banks County, Jackson County, City of Commerce and surrounding communities.” Mr. Yarborough also closes his statement on the webpage with, “Our commitment is to provide the best possible local services available and that you will be Cared for and Treated like Family.”
By closing the Commerce Women’s Clinic and not offering OB services, does not fulfill the need for the community. Even if this is not a money producing service, it should still be provided on an as needed basis. The clinic should remain open every day and the OB ward of the hospital should be staffed and serve patients as needed.
I cannot believe the Hospital Authority could forget that women are the largest group in our community’s population and to not offer basic services for us should make them drop their head in shame.
In conclusion, let’s remember BJC Medical Center’s foundation: for the people by the people. Now that the current Medical Center’s Administration doesn’t seem to care about everyone in the community, I must support other’s opinions that the Medical Center does not deserve our patronage.
Just go to NGHS or ARMC. You get full service there and unless you live in Commerce it's just as close to go to one of these two.
The other alternative is to fund BJC like a hospital should be funded. Geez.
GYN services actually made money. And another question...Why would the hospital still do ultrasounds for patients but not have an ob/gyn doctor on staff? What hospital management doesn't understand is to make money, sometimes you have to spend money.
Bottom line for me, if you bite the hand that feeds you, you don't deserve to eat.
Just a thought.