PRESS RELEASES
North Shore Birth Center to Remain Open
North Shore Birth Center to Remain Open
Northeast Hospital Corporation Board of Trustees Approves Plan to Continue Services
(Beverly, MA) — The Board of Trustees of Northeast Hospital Corporation announced today that they have approved a plan that will keep the North Shore Birth Center open and allow the Center to continue to provide services to women who are low-risk and prefer a birth center approach to pregnancy and childbirth.
Trustee members worked diligently with hospital administration and clinicians to develop and approve a plan that would allow for the continued operation of the Birth Center on the campus of Beverly Hospital. The Board recognizes the national trend of birth center closings due to rising costs and has decided to take a proactive approach and modify how care will be delivered at the Birth Center. Patients delivering at the Birth Center will now receive fetal monitoring during their delivery.
“I am pleased that we were able to find a compromise that would allow us to keep North Shore Birth Center open to the community,” said Dr. Henry Ramini, President and CEO of Northeast Health System. “By making this modification, we will be able to continue to provide this valuable service.”
In a time when healthcare costs are increasing for all hospital services, the Board of Trustees continually evaluates the programs and services provided throughout Northeast Hospital Corporation to ensure that the highest quality of hospital care is available and delivered to the community.
“The Trustees believe in the care that is rendered at the Birth Center and believe that it is a safe birthing alternative for expectant mothers in our community,” said Nancy Palmer, Chairperson of the Northeast Hospital Corporation Board of Trustees. “We recognize and appreciate that the Birth Center is a special place for many families and we are honored to continue to provide this unique birthing alternative.”
The North Shore Birth Center (NSBC) became the first freestanding birth center in the northeast when it opened in 1980. It is a nurse-midwifery practice, in collaboration with OB/GYN physicians, situated on the campus of Beverly Hospital. The Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) at the birth center also provide GYN care. The NSBC’s CNMs attend births at both the Birth Center and Beverly Hospital.
Northeast Hospital Corporation
As affiliates of Northeast Hospital Corporation, Beverly Hospital and Addison Gilbert Hospital are full service community hospitals providing quality, patient-centered care to North Shore residents. Services include maternity, pediatrics, surgical, cardiology, orthopedics, as well as other specialties. The hospitals boast a medical staff of more than 570 physicians and their service area includes 13 communities.
