Support Hospital Privileges for Quinte Midwives

SUPPORT IMMEDIATE PRIVILEGES FOR QUINTE MIDWIVES

To: Board of Directors, Quinte Health Care, Belleville General Hospital and Prince Edward Memorial Hospital, Picton

We, the undersigned, do hereby and respectfully request that Quinte Midwives be given privileges in your hospitals effective immediately.

We understand that the Board has been aware that midwives were coming to our community since August of 2004 with the development of the Quinte Midwifery Committee. In August 2005, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care approved funding for a new midwifery practice. In June of 2006, our first midwife, Jeannette Davies, RM made the first application to QHC. In October of 2006, the Quinte Midwives clinic was opened. In May of 2007, the Board of Directors voted in favour of granting privileges to the Quinte Midwives pending 11 conditions, all of which have been satisfied by the midwives. In April of 2008, the obstetricians refuse to meet with the midwives or support their privilege applications citing `lack of resources`. In April 2007, the Board held a closed session (not available to the public) without any firm decision as was expected, citing "management issues".

The undersigned of this petition would like to recognize the efforts, time and advisement that have taken place to support all departments and personnel involved in making this decision to break new ground for QHC. We commend the departments who have met and support the work of our midwives, in particular, the department of paediatrics, department of anaesthesia, the Midwifery Task Force and all advising personnel from KGH assigned thereto, and many others.

We respectfully would like to remind QHC, that this hospital is the only hospital in our SouthEastern area without midwifery privileges. Kingston General has 6 midwives with privileges, Peterborough has 6 and Cobourg has 2 midwifery practices that hold privileges for a total of 12 midwives (6 midwives each)!

We are asking the Board to be respectful of the needs of the women and families in this community and allow them their right to have their babies with the primary caregiver of their choice.

The Quinte Midwives have a full caseload with a continuously growing waiting list. According to the AOM, `a midwifery attended birth in hospital saves the health care system $ 800 and if a midwifery client gives birth at home, the cost savings is $1, 800. Savings are due to the c-section rate for midwifery clients being 30\% lower, readmission rates to hospital is 65\% lower than other providers and shorter hospital stays including over double the rate of early discharge to low-risk clients` as the midwifery care follows the client home. In addition, the AOM states `there are broader savings to the health care system, including reduced nursing staff time, reduced emergency room visits and reduced use of walk-in clinics.` Midwifery then frees up hospital resources.

There are over 414 registered midwives serving the women in Ontario and still there are over 40\% of women who are unable to access care when they seek it due to such high demand for midwifery services. The Quinte Midwives have cared for over 219 clients since they opened in October of 2006 and also supports a growing waiting list. The demand in this area is high.

Health Minister Smitherman was quoted in saying: `Midwifery is a living example of the health principles we are aspiring to. They can help show us the way forward.`

For more information please visit www.aom.on.ca or www.cmo.on.ca or www.quintemidwives.ca.

This petition has been put in place by the independent consumer voice, the Quinte Midwifery Committee committed to the continued support and integration of midwifery in the greater Quinte area.

All quoted references and statistics from the Association of Ontario Midwives and the Quinte Midwives.

As the voice of women and families from the very area that Quinte Health Care serves, we urge the Board to grant immediate hospital privileges at their next Board meeting in the morning, on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at the Clavell Building (beside Belleville General Hospital).