Health

Increasing birth rates pushes area hospital to improve women’s care

By WHIO Staff
By WHIO Staff

SPRINGFIELD — This year Springfield Regional Medical Center is reporting that there has been a spike in births at the hospital.

The hospital says birth rates have increased to over 20 percent of what they were in previous years. This new rise in births is pushing Mercy Health Springfield Regional Medical Center to make some changes.

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“Under the leadership of Dr. Shawn Osterholt, our facility has become very mom-centric which is great for first time mothers, but it’s also bringing back second and third-time moms who want to stay closer to home and their families,” said Ben Merick, Vice President of Operations for Mercy Health. “Add to that, we know proximity to a great birthing center is correlated with good outcomes, so we want to continue expanding the options available to women in our community.”

In the first quarter of 2023, Springfield Regional Medical Center successfully delivered 301 babies, a significant increase from the 246 babies delivered during the same period in 2022.

Hospital officials attribute this positive trend to the expanding range of options available to provide expectant mothers with comprehensive pregnancy support, according to a release from the hospital.

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In 2022 Mercy Health has:

  • Launched a midwifery program for wider inpatient/outpatient care access.
  • Partnered with Ohio State for an on-site Maternal Fetal Medicine program for high-risk pregnancies.
  • Obstetrical patients with pregnancy-related complaints can bypass ER wait and see Family Birthing Center specialists thanks to new policy.

Dr. Shawn Osterholt, Director of Obstetrics at Mercy Health said, “as caregivers, women often put others first instead of prioritizing their own health. We hope by expanding access to care in the local community, it will empower women to make their health a priority, even as they’re focused on growing their families.”





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