Thank you all for your support. I know you all care about this issue that is why you are signing and sharing. If you are on the internet and hearing some wild questions I wanted to share some information to help you answer them if you want.
Many people pose the following questions or comments:
Is 2,000 deliveries a year enough to keep the unit open? OR
It's not profitable, so it should close. OR
Just drive to another hospital.
Answer: Maternal and infant mortality is rising in an our developed nation because closures like this. Almost every single developed nation has better outcomes than the United States.
It does not matter how many births, find the funding for life saving units . The state of Nevada experiences an average maternal mortality rate of about 20.4 to 23.5 deaths per 100,000 live births. These are mostly preventable deaths. The number one reason for a maternal death is obstetrical hemorrhage. There are only MINUTES to save a life. Having to travel further for care will only increase the number of women and babies dying.
Yes, it is for profit health care and there are operational costs, but when does the business of a hospital start caring about the community. How is there money to pay executives but none to care for patients?
Henderson Hospital website even commits to these values of serving a community. Health Equity Commitment
VIP suites built at Henderson Hospital and opened recently Henderson Hospital builds VIP suites
Care for the rich but not for the community who needs it. Let these VIP suites pay for maternal and newborn care if insurance is not reimbursing.
There has to be a solution to serve this growing community of families. We need obstetric care for labor, delivery, postpartum, and newborn services. We need emergency services of specialized care if they have a high risk pregnancy. The emergency department is not equipped to handle these. Women do not have an extra 30 minutes plus to drive to another hospital.
Please keep sharing and putting pressure on leaders to get involved and help find a solution. This is not just one hospital or one city, this is happening all over the United States. Hospital Crisis Watch