Bronx moms and their newborns have been getting a lower level of medical care since the closure of the delivery unit at North Central Bronx Hospital, nurses from the phased-out maternity ward charged.
The shutdown has led to excessive wait times and overcrowded rooms at Jacobi Medical Center, said peeved staffers, who rallied outside the Pelham Gardens hospital on Wednesday and called on the city to reverse the change.
“Working in the maternity unit is one of the most rewarding jobs you can have, but it can be very stressful — especially when you have to take on too many patients,” said Sarita Jones, a nurse who works in the maternity ward at Jacobi. “And that’s exactly what this change has created for us at this time.”
More than 100 nurses from North Central Bronx were tranferred to Jacobi last month, and hospital staffers said new moms and their babies have been grossly affected by the change.
Some of the transferred nurses are struggling with their new workload, demonstrators charged.
“They haven’t had the appropriate training, and after one day of orientation they’re being given the patient assignments,” said Jill Furillo, executive director of the New York State Nurses Association.
About 1,400 babies — 10% of the births in the borough — were born each year at the North Central Bronx unit, which once boasted one of the lowest cesarean section rates in New York City.
But now, staffers said, pregnant women being re-routed to Jacobi are enduring long waits and being crammed into crowded rooms.
Some mothers have to convalesce on another floor after delivering — away from their newborns — because of a lack of security, said Dr. Frank Poscia, the executive director of the Doctors Council SEIU, the union that represents doctors in the city-run hospitals.
“They’re creating a scenario that, if something happens, patients are at risk,” Poscia told dozens who attended the rally.
An obstetrician/gynecologist was supposed to be stationed at North Central Bronx on nights and weekends, Poscia said, but now there is only one doctor on call for emergencies.
“That is not enough,” he said. “We need a doctor on-site.”
Employees and officials charged that the Health and Hospitals Corp. — which shuttered the delivery unit at North Central on Aug. 12 — did so abruptly and without community input.
“This sneak attack is an example of government at its worst,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Riverdale). “At the bare minimum, at least let us know what’s going on.”
A Health and Hospitals Corp. spokeswoman said the agency closed the delivery unit to ensure quality medical care.
All of the 580 women set to give birth within the next eight months were notified about the unit’s closure, said Ana Marengo, the spokeswoman.
She noted that a patient-relations rep has been working with North Central Bronx patients who give birth at Jacobi, and said those patients have access to gynecological care and a private ambulance.
“This was a necessary change to focus resources and ensure optimal staffing to provide the most comprehensive, safe and efficient model of inpatient obstetrical and gynecological care for our patients,” Marengo said.
Councilman James Vacca (D-Throgs Neck) called for a City Council oversight hearing into the effect of hospital unit closures including North Central’s delivery unit.
“We cannot afford to put people’s lives in jeopardy,” Vacca said. “We cannot have people even further away from services that should be in their community.”
