A Closer Look; Louise Shivers - Monmouth Medical Center; Perinatal Controversy

Planners have come up with a new approach for the care of newborn babies in New Jersey. The plan sets up a new system to distribute all levels of newborn care across the state. Among the 72 hospitals that offer obstetrics services right now newborns with special problems are often sent to New York or Philadelphia hospitals. Proponents say this new plan would make going out of state unnecessary. Yet this proposal has also for Perinatal care services for mothers and their in infants also has generated a great debate among doctors and local hospital officials. Tonight producer Janice Eleanor and I take a closer look at the perinatal controversy. Pozole has also for Perinatal care services for mothers and their in infants also has generated a great debate among doctors and local hospital officials. Tonight producer Janice Eleanor and I take a closer look at the perinatal controversy. It was JR is the son of Laura and Paul walls of Long Branch Jr.

was going to be visited his hospital nursery. He was premature and weighed less than two pounds. In this case getting very sophisticated care in a regional perinatal center was a cinch. Born here at Monmouth medical center run by the Monmouth medical perinatal Center has 18 beds and serves about 400 babies each year. One third of those babies come from other hospitals hospitals not equipped like this one to handle complicated births. This baby was only an hour old when we were at the center. The baby was transferred from Freehold for a soundwave test for congenital heart problems. Unfortunately that baby later died from his heart complications 90 percent of babies born in New Jersey hospitals don't have such serious problems and they don't require special care for them only normal hospital care is required. But 5 percent of those born do require what is called Level 2 or intermediate care and 10 percent

level three or intensive care. The state of New Jersey is divided into five regional health systems agencies. The proposed perinatal plan would select only one hospital in each of the regions to offer this very specialized care. The reason we're looking at is a big area comprised of hundred Middlesex Somerset Mercer Monmouth and Ocean Counties Monmouth Medical Center in Monmouth County as we've seen already offers this very specialized kind of care. So what's the problem. Well the problem. Is. Heavier than we do shave cream rise heavy with shade this year rise heavy with the leading shave cream. In just one good shape. Rise healthy did the last one is heavy is enriched with five special ingredient the leadership of this little.

Rise heavy. Littles in this region also offer this special service. St. Peters in New Brunswick and Jersey Shore Hospital in negative. The difficulty will be in deciding just which hospital gets selected by the state health department as the one place to go for intensive perinatal care in this region. One will get the activity two will not. And that has the medical community in this region upset. Dr. Anthony De Spiro of the New Jersey chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics says he thinks the state health departments plan may overlook the larger issue. You have to look at the end food and if it happens to your baby that's 100 percent. You have to look at that. So one baby that ends up with mental with brain damage or mental retardation. As far as you're concerned if it's in your family.