Ohio Valley General Hospital Expects More Babies

By Jill Cueni-Cohen
Having a baby is the happiest reason to be admitted to the hospital. But with fewer hospitals offering maternity services and fewer OB/Gyn physicians, the choices are limited for families in Pennsylvania. So what’s a mother-to-be to do?

“Our research indicates that the state has lost OB/Gyns,” said Chuck Moran, director of media relations for the Pennsylvania Medical Society in Harrisburg. “Pennsylvania has a reputation for having very high liability insurance rates and not really tackling the subject of tough reforms. This problem is particularly hard-hitting in the rural areas, and it goes beyond OB/Gyns, affecting the availability of nurse-midwives and other medical personnel.”

As some hospitals eliminate their obstetrics facilities and OB/Gyn physicians relocate their practices to other states, Ohio Valley General Hospital (Ohio Valley) in Kennedy Township is moving in the opposite direction — hiring more OB/Gyns and adding a four-story, state-of-the-art Maternity and Surgical Services unit.

“People often ask me, ‘When other hospitals are closing, why are you renovating yours?’” said Greg Erhard, director of Marketing and Physician Development at Ohio Valley, noting that times have changed from the days when every community hospital had a maternity ward.

President Bill Provenzano acknowledged that the hospital’s $23-million
construction project defies conventional wisdom. “But we’re building up our OB services and expanding them, because we think it’s very important to have this
service in the community,” he said.

Moran applauded Ohio Valley’s efforts. “It’s something special and says a lot about the hospital’s desire to bring those services to the areas that it serves,” he noted.

Affiliated with Quorum Health Resources through a management contract since 1984, Ohio Valley is a private, community-owned hospital located near the intersection of Routes 79 and 60 This makes it a convenient choice for families who live in Pittsburgh’s western suburbs and beyond.

“If you look at the numbers, the birth rate seems to be declining, but our service area — South Fayette, Moon, Kennedy, Findlay and Robinson townships — has a lot of young families,” Erhard pointed out. “And these areas are growing.”

Erhard’s own family has grown in the past year with the birth of his first child, and he noted that although his family’s experience at Ohio Valley was wonderful, things are about to get a whole lot better.

Retaining and Recruiting Doctors
In 2004, approximately 300 babies were delivered at Ohio Valley, and Erhard said that they’ve already seen a 20 percent increase in births this year. He attributes this increase in part to the fact that the hospital recently recruited two new
physicians.

Erhard acknowledged that finding the new doctors wasn’t easy. “[The threat of] malpractice suits is probably one of the leading reasons,” he explained, adding that insurance costs are deterring physicians from staying in Pennsylvania. “There have been some steps taken recently to ease malpractice insurance costs, and some abatements have been offered for high-risk specialties. So there has been some relief, but there needs to be more of a global change to the system.”

“The other issue may be the declining birthrate, but these physicians don’t just deliver babies, they do other types of gynecological surgery as well,” Erhard pointed out.

“We found two physicians who wanted to start up a practice, and they have ties to the area. One was born here, and the other one trained here,” he said. “Finding local doctors is one of the keys to recruiting and retaining physicians.”

A Future of Happy Birthdays
Classified as a level-one, low-risk birthing facility, Ohio Valley has a
hundred-year history of delivering healthy babies. High-risk patients are typically sent to a tertiary hospital network in Pittsburgh, but Provenzano pointed out that complicated births are not the norm.

“Ninety-nine percent of deliveries can be done in a community-hospital setting. There’s usually no need to go to a tertiary hospital. We’ve got the services, the technology, and if there is a problem, we can get you downtown in seconds by helicopter,” he emphasized.

“We’re not a downtown hospital doing high-risk procedures. Our bread-and-butter is community care, and we’re very good at it,” said Erhard of Ohio Valley’s 119-bed facility. “Our patient satisfaction scores are excellent. Core services are part of our mission, and obstetrics is part of that.”

There have been many changes made over the years, including a move from Stowe Township in 1949 and a major expansion of the hospital in 1968. Early in the nineties, Ohio Valley added a Wound Care Center and Diagnostic Suite. For the past few years, Ohio Valley’s board of directors has recognized the need to upgrade their Maternity and Surgical Services.

“After performing a feasibility study for at least two years, the board made a decision to add to the building,” said Provenzano. They considered a number of scenarios and ultimately decided to house the new maternity unit in a new wing.
The new Surgical Services portion of the building will provide larger operating rooms to accommodate today’s technology and individual outpatient rooms.

In front of 100 community leaders and hospital staff, including Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Rich Fitzgerald, President of Allegheny County Council, Ohio Valley broke ground on the 50,000-square-foot expansion in March 2005. The new building was designed by Pittsburgh-based Burt Hill Kosar Rittleman Associates, Inc. and is expected to be completed by June 2006.

“It’s the one place in the hospital where people can come to celebrate the fact that you’re here,” said Erhard of the maternity ward. “We plan to provide a home-like feel for the joyous occasion.”

By upgrading antiquated facilities, the hospital hopes to attract more young couples with private rooms, a new nursery and state-of-the-art amenities, including an infant security system and a special operating room for C-sections.

“Semi-private rooms didn’t impact our quality of care,” said Erhard, “but sometimes young families will go to various hospitals and look at the units before they pick a doctor. Our new unit will have bigger rooms, more privacy, and will offer a much more pleasing and family-friendly atmosphere.”

With five OB/Gyn physicians currently on its staff of approximately 300 doctors, Ohio Valley is counting on its obvious commitment to providing quality maternity services to attract additional doctors as the need arises.

When it comes to the nursing staff, however, Ohio Valley grows its own. “We have two schools here, the School of Nursing and the School of Radiology,” said Provenzano, noting that the expansion will provide more space within the hospital to upgrade existing services and offer new ones. “We’re excited about the possibilities,” he said. “And we’re proud of the fact that we’re one of the few hospitals continuing to grow and expand.”