Statement on the Maternity Care Crisis in Washington, DC
Contact:
Mara Kaiser Braunger
[email protected]
202-763-7361
For Immediate Release: Sept. 21, 2017
Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC has been a trusted provider of high quality health services and a pillar of the DC community for 80 years.
PPMW is committed to providing the best care possible while meeting community health needs in the midst of a dynamic health care landscape. We are committed to evolving our health care practices to create a sustainable model for patients today and in the future.
The maternity care crisis in the District is at a tipping point. Providence Hospital – the only labor and delivery hospital in NE – will be closing all obstetrical services this fall. United Medical Center’s Labor and Delivery will suffer a 90 day shutdown of its obstetrical services. MedStar Washington Hospital Center decided to no longer accept the plans of two of three Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). These events result in a severe lack of access to maternity care for the most vulnerable women of DC.
These hospitals are located in the Southeast and Northeast Wards of DC, which historically experience a disproportionate level of adverse health outcomes. Reduced accessibility and availability across the city will leave women without acceptable options to meet the important health care needs of themselves and their pregnancies.
Quote by Dr. Serina Floyd, Medical Director, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC: “It is appalling to witness such a substantial reduction in access to maternity care during a time in this country when we are seeing an alarming increase in maternal deaths. Access to quality care is vital in combatting this rise yet we see the exact opposite happening here in the District, an area with particularly high maternal mortality rates. It is imperative that leaders in the District take immediate action to protect its mothers and families.”
How can the District of Columbia – a metropolitan world leader – possibly let this happen? We call on local leaders to swiftly solve this distressing reality for the health of the community.
Planned Parenthood stands with DC women and families.