Dave Lucas at WAMC Northeast Public Radio reports with Ellis Medicine set to initiate cuts at the Bellevue Woman’s Center, advocates worry about the state of maternal health care in the Capital Region. Members of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) held a town hall to discuss their concerns and are up in arms over Ellis Medicine’s decision to initiate the cuts that were originally planned for the end of the year. They are now set to take effect on August 22nd and include moving out-patient surgical services to Schenectady's Ellis Hospital. Bellevue Registered Nurse Christine Walters believes the changes are being implemented without proper prior planning: "One Unit closes, it affects the other Units. What does this snowball effect? What kind of repercussions will there be for Bellevue with this Unit closing? We’ve always done a number of surgical services that some people in the public might not even know: Eye surgery; foot surgeries, that you wouldn't necessarily think would happen at a Woman's Hospital. But we, but most importantly, we've done woman surgeries, including mastectomy, breast repair after cancer. We've done all kinds of OBGYN-related surgeries at Bellevue. When we would have a patient present emergency with something like an ectopic pregnancy, which is an emergent situation, we would perform those procedures at Bellevue, those services will no longer be available at Bellevue.” Bellevue will continue performing childbirth deliveries, C-sections and caring for maternity patients, but Catherine Mitchell, with the March of Dimes, told the NYSNA gathering that she fears the surgery changes could be just the first step.

To Read This Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: Advocates worry changes at Bellevue Woman’s Center threaten maternal healthcare in Capital Region | WAMC

NYSNA Provided Graphic.