Tomorrow We Rally!!   

On September 20th, from 12-2 pm EST, we have organized a rally to express our concerns to Parkview regarding the closure of Parkview Dekalb Family Birthing Center. This decision is concerning as it will leave Dekalb County residents with no nearby hospital options, and is not practical for underprivileged families without transportation.  Pregnant women and their unborn babies are at risk of roadside births or being forced to give birth in an emergency room that is not equipped for such situations. It is important to note that birth is not an emergency if a pregnancy is healthy.

Additionally, two-thirds of the families who currently choose to birth at Parkview Dekalb are with the Auburn OBGYN Midwives, who were forced out of their current location due to a 50% increase in office rent. Parkview also canceled a 10-year contract with Auburn OBGYN after just 5 years.

We also want to acknowledge and express our gratitude to first responders who will also be affected by this decision. We appreciate your unwavering dedication to your towns and being the first on the scene to aid those with medical issues. With the closure of the birthing center, there will be an increase in families visiting hospitals or calling for EMS services for birth, which will create a need for more EMS personnel and staff. The county will bear the cost of this need, while Parkview will receive the funding.

Currently, Dekalb County has a contract with Parkview for EMS services that will last until 2025. After that, the contract will be up for renegotiation. It's interesting to note that county officials were initially reluctant to sign a contract with Parkview, despite their reputation for providing quality EMS services. However, Parkview was persistent in their pursuit of the contract, even after proposing a $50,000 price increase.

The Star News reported on November 23, 2020 that Dekalb County had signed EMS services 

“AUBURN — DeKalb County Commissioners on Monday signed a five-year contract for ambulance service with Parkview Health.

Parkview EMS will serve DeKalb County from 2021 through 2025 for $250,000 per year.

“That’s a very fair price,” said James McCanna, attorney for the County Commissioners.

The county is paying $200,000 this year in its final contract signed with DeKalb Health, which has been acquired by Parkview Health.

During negotiations for the new contract, county officials initially hesitated at allowing Parkview EMS to take over emergency dispatching of ambulances. County officials worried that the new procedure would take longer than the current system of dispatching by DeKalb Central Communications.

“They explained in some detail why they can be just as quick in getting first-responders to the scene,” McCanna said about Parkview EMS.

County officials succeeded in eliminating a proposed clause that would have allowed either the county or Parkview to cancel the contract without cause by giving 180 days’ notice.

“We did not want either party to be able to get out of it early if no one did anything wrong,” McCanna said. County officials did not object to language allowing termination for cause.”   The Star