AMERICUS — A story in Wednesday’s edition about the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center’s board meeting, failed to include background on a law suit filed by Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital against Palmyra Medical Center, Albany.

In an effort to clarify, here is some of the background of the law suit.

Palmyra Medical Center had filed for a certificate of need (CON) for a level one birthing center for the fourth time in 20 years. The Georgia Department of Community Health approved that certificate in early January 2009, after changes in the CON law in 2008.

Phoebe Putney twice appealed the decision by the DCH, saying that there is no need for another birthing center within so close a proximity to Phoebe’s existing level 3 birthing center.

After it was learned that Palmyra’s request had been granted, the Americus and Sumter County Hospital Authority passed a resolution in opposition to the granting of the CON, saying a birthing center at Palmyra would have a “negative effect” on rebuilding Sumter Regional Hospital’s medical and nursing staffs after the March 2007 tornado destroyed the hospital.

The hospital board pointed out its loss of several practicing obstetricians and the general shortage of obstetricians in the area. The board’s biggest concern, however, is that Palmyra’s birthing center could jeopardize Sumter Regional Hospital’s (now Phoebe Sumter Medical Center’s) ability to adequately reestablish its OB medical and nursing staffs.

In short, the board strongly opposes Palmyra’s CON for a birthing center.

Phoebe is against Palmyra’s being granted the CON, citing that most of the women who deliver their babies at Phoebe are not paying customers, and if Palmyra takes a large number of paying customers, it would take revenues away from Phoebe, which has a level three Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unity (NICU).

After Phoebe lost its two appeals, it decided to go to court to stop Palmyra Medical Center from delivering babies. The law suit claims that the DCH violated its policy by allowing an expansion of obstetric services without an increase in the area’s population.

Currently, there are approximately 3,000 babies delivered at Phoebe Putney each year, a number that hospital officials say has remained stable for several years. Sumter Regional Hospital, prior to the tornado in 2007, had delivered up to 800 babies each year. For 2008 and 2009, Phoebe Sumter Medical Center delivered upwards of 400 babies each year. With the completion of the new hospital in 2011, that number is expected to increase. The editorial board of the Americus Times-Recorder supports the law suit against Palmyra. We do not want anything to thwart the full success of the new Phoebe Sumter Medical Center now under construction, including the operations of the level one birthing unit it will include. We want all the babies from Sumter, Schley, Macon, Webster and other surrounding counties to be born here in Americus, to help sustain the new hospital when it is completed so it can provide needed jobs and to further enhance the quality of life here.

It makes sense.