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Demonstrators urge support for midwives at North Hawaii Community Hospital

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Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

About 30-40 demonstrators took to the sidewalks in front of North Hawaii Community Hospital on March 19, 2012 to voice their support for the Midwife program at the hospital and to protest any plan to reduce those services.

Community members along with staff from midwife programs both on the Big Island and from Oahu participated in the demonstration.

The hospital delivered 660 babies in 2011 but with five rooms in the birthing unit the hospital was designed to handle 500-550 deliveries a year. Because medicare reimbursements don’t cover the full cost of the deliveries the hospital loses $1.5M a year according to Ken Wood, North Hawaii Community Hospital Chief Executive Officer.

Wood said he’d like to see a midwife program at Hilo and one in Kona to accomodate those who want access to a midwife program outside of their service area which extends from Kukio, through North Hawaii to Laupahoehoe. Wood said he hopes to make a decision by the end of April.

For more information visit:
North Hawaii Community Hospital: www.nhch.com
Hapai Hawaii: www.hapaihawaii.com
Midwives Alliance of Hawaii: midwiveshawaii.com

2 Responses to “Demonstrators urge support for midwives at North Hawaii Community Hospital”

  1. home birther says:

    I do not trust Mr Wood’s logic about shrinking a successful program, is proven when he talked about a person would drive 180 miles to get there.
    A person would have to go from Waikaloa via south point to get to Waimea to drive 180 one way. Where is this guy from?

  2. I’M GLAD THAT THE OTHER HAWAIIAN, PRESIDENT OBAMA, IS RUNNING OUR PRECIOUS COUNTRY AND NOT “Ken Wood ASSOCIATED WITH”\: https://hawaii247.com/2012/04/01/demonstrators-urge-support-for-midwives-at-north-hawaii-community-hospital/
    HAWAIIAN MOTHERS AND THEIR FAMILIES SHOULD HAVE A “LABOR-OUT”….HAVE THEIR SWEET BABIES OUT OF THE HOSPITAL AND SHOW THE HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS HAWAIIAN FAMILIES ARE INTELLIGENT AND WILL NOT BE MANIPULATED. THE HOSPITAL NEEDS YOUR MONEY WAY MORE THAN YOU NEED THEM. SHOW THE HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR THAT HOMEBIRTH WITH A MIDWIFE BLOWS AWAY ANY HOSPITAL BIRTHS. ASK SOMEONE WHOM HAS HAD SUCCESSFUL HOME AND HOSPITAL BIRTHS TO RATE BOTH EXPERIENCES.

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