| Releases
& Statements
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 21, 2007
Contact: John Collins
(212) 669-4193; (917) 496-4587
Release #: 027-2007
New Gotbaum Report Finds HHC Failing to Provide Accessible Prenatal
Care to Women
- Public Advocate calls for granting women appointments without
prior visits, extending office hours -
MANHATTAN
– Women face significant barriers when trying to access
basic prenatal care from Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC)
facilities, according to a new report from Public Advocate Betsy
Gotbaum. The report, Hurdles to a Healthy Baby, finds that two-thirds
of HHC facilities do not offer weekend or evening appointments
and more than 70 percent of facilities require women to make in-person
visits before ever meeting with a physician.
Public
Advocate Gotbaum, joined by childbirth advocates, today called
on HHC to grant prenatal care appointments to all pregnant women
without prior visits. Public Advocate Gotbaum said the step would
help more low-income and uninsured women access essential prenatal
and preconception care – decreasing costs to taxpayers and
reducing health risks for children.
Public
Advocate Gotbaum said, “With preterm births on the rise
and health care costs out of control, women need to be able to
access quality prenatal care as early as possible. But right now,
HHC is forcing uninsured women to jump through hoops just to see
a doctor. That’s wrong. HHC needs to cut through red tape
and make it easy for women to access essential prenatal care.”
Prenatal
and preconception care have proven to be effective tools in reducing
the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as birth defects,
premature births and infant deaths. And yet, in 2005, nearly 28
percent of women who gave birth in New York City did not receive
prenatal care during their first trimester.
Taxpayers
bear heavy costs when uninsured women have preterm or low-weight
babies; in New York City, medical costs start at about $90,000
for a premature or low birth-weight baby – nearly 14 times
the average cost for a healthy, normal-weight baby.
Maureen
Corry, MPH, Executive Director of Childbirth Connection, said,
“If city hospitals can become Baby-Friendly to promote successful
breastfeeding, surely they can remove the barriers that prevent
women from accessing early and regular prenatal care.”
Public
Advocate Gotbaum is also calling on HHC to expand evening and
weekend hours, reduce wait times at its facilities, and train
clinic staff to inform women about free and low-cost health insurance.
Together, these steps will help make an expectant mother’s
first experience with public health facilities more positive and
increase the likelihood of continued prenatal care.
As part of the
study, investigators in the Public Advocate’s office posed
as uninsured pregnant women and called 39 HHC facilities throughout
the city. The investigators asked how soon they could obtain a
doctor’s appointment and during what hours.
The
report can be seen here.
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