The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 9, 2006

Philadelphia Must Improve its Maternity Care
By JoAnne Fischer, Executive Director of Maternity Care Coalition

In 2006, Fit Pregnancy magazine ranked Philadelphia 44th out of 50 U.S. cities when looking at "best places to have a baby." The magazine - certainly aimed at women who can afford the products advertised on its pages - looked at affordability of health care, breast-feeding rates, child-care availability, birthing options, and public-health childbirth statistics. The region flunked miserably. Was this just the glitzy attention-seeking of a popular-press magazine?

Unfortunately, no. In its recently released report, "Childbirth at a Crossroads," the Maternity Care Coalition examined the status of health care for childbearing women in our region. This look was prompted by cries of distress. Hospitals were closing their obstetric services. Practitioners were seeing more uninsured women. Obstetricians were threatening to leave practice. We learned of childbirth practitioners' concerns: malpractice, long hours, more professionals choosing to work part time to raise their own families, and fewer students choosing OB and midwifery. Infant-mortality rates, although declining, displayed unacceptable racial inequities. Philadelphia's breast-feeding rate places it last among the 10 largest American cities. The Cesarean-section rate is rising dramatically.

As a region, we have the knowledge, resources and skills to become the best place to have a baby. We need the will. The coalition plans to work to bring about the changes we need, including:

Increased diversity among health-care practitioners - providers and facilities that effectively serve our culturally and linguistically diverse population.

Universal health insurance, guaranteeing access to adequate care.

Elimination of health-care disparities based on race and income.

Innovative approaches to medical liability.

Improved breast-feeding rates and other indicators that we've reached national health goals.

"Childbirth at a Crossroads" is our warning signal. It is up to us to choose the road that improves the environment for all childbearing families. You can view the full report here.

Learn about the childbirth crisis through our Maternity Care in Southeastern PA pages, or visit our Maternity Services Advocacy pages to find out how communities are advocating and how you can take action!

MCC's full Childbirth at a Crossroads report can be viewed here.