Orangeville still needs midwives!

I recently learned from the dear midwives at Midwives of Headwater Hills that, despite having practiced in the community and serving over 100 families in Orangeville over the last year and a half, they are still lacking support from their closest hospital, Headwaters Health Care Centre. After a long wait and much discussion, their opening two midwives obtained privileges there almost a year ago.  This was a huge success for those of us involved in the childbearing community, since the closest midwifery practices are at least a half hour drive away in any given direction.  This not only increased access to midwifery care from an eager and enthusiastic population of mothers, but was some good publicity (in my opinion) for a hospital which has much room for improvement in their maternity services.

Now, we discover that these midwives are not being granted these same privileges to their growing practices newest members.  Not only does this mean that they cannot grow as the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care has seen fit for them to, (not to mention the demands of their growing client base and waiting lists), but that the midwives in their practice must maintain exhaustingly long periods of time on call without relief.  This has resulted in the decision for the entire practice to have to discontinue servicing women at Headwaters until they are able to accommodate the entire practice of midwives.
This is unfair.  Unfair to the community who has made clear their desires for alternate maternity options which may still involve their local hospital, unfair to the individual women who must be placed in this position of having to choose between locally provided obstetric care or driving out for a hospital birth with their midwives, and of course unfair and unsustainable for these wonderful midwives whom we in Orangeville and surrounding areas have waited so long for.

They have exhausted their beaurocratic options and are now asking for the public to voice their concerns about this issue.  These women are providing a vital service that has been lacking in our community for much too long.  There are very few communities in southern Ontario that have struggled without midwives for as long as Orangeville has, with almost every other hospital in Ontario having granted privileges to numerous midwives.  I feel that this is a beaurocratic move to keep midwives from the monopoly that Orangeville has held on childbirth.  Please help us by sending an email or letter to the individuals below.  If we can make them understand how many people agree with the importance of their proposals, we may be
able to move this forward.

Cholly Boland, President and CEO
Headwaters Health Care Centre
cboland@headwatershealth.ca

Louise Kindree, Chair Board of Directors
dhyatt@headwatershealth.ca.  (board secretary)

Or by post to either of the above:
100 Rolling Hills Dr
Orangeville,ON
L9W 4X9


If you'd like to see the midwives website, it is available at http://www.midwivesofheadwaterhills.ca