Beavers continues pre-natal care despite OB closure

DR. LANA BEAVERS [Order this photo]

Local doctor Lana Beavers says her patients will continue to receive the care they need, despite Heritage Medical Center CEO Dan Buckner's recent announcement about the hospital's intent to close its obstetrics department.

"There's nothing about my practice that has changed, except for the delivery of babies," said Beavers, who delivered 95 percent of babies born in Bedford County last year, according to Buckner. "My practice will continue to include pre-natal care."

Beavers gave notice in June that she would no longer deliver babies. Soon after that announcement became public, Heritage Medical Center terminated hospital contracts with Dr. Jan Crean and Dr. Dennis Wieck, both OB/GYNs, which was followed up two months later by Buckner's announcement of the intent to close the OB department.

Despite the hospital closing its OB department, and the fact that Beavers says she no longer delivers babies due to her age and the location of the new hospital, she's confident that her patients -- comprised mostly of indigents and TennCare recipients -- will be taken care of as a result of a working relationship that has been established between Heritage and Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro.

"I will continue to provide pre-natal care," said Beavers, who upon delivery time, "will make a simple phone call to MTMC. I will see them here for pre-natal care, which will save them gas money. Indigents (and Tenn Care patients) will have continuity of care. It's simply a 20-minute (further) drive for the delivery of the baby."

She said it is no different than what would take place if the OB department in Shelbyville remained open, and she were no longer delivering babies. She would still be providing pre-natal care, and another doctor would deliver the baby. Instead of going to Heritage to deliver, however, those patients will simply drive to Murfreesboro.

Beavers, who says practicing obstetrics is her passion, credits Buckner with helping arrange for the agreement with Murfreesboro.

"Without Dan and the help of the hospital I could not have continued doing pre-natal work," Beavers said. "He worked really hard to make the relationship with MTMC workable."

Beavers said she will keep Murfreesboro doctors updated on her patients' records on a weekly basis so that Murfreesboro doctors will be familiar with incoming Shelbyville patients upon delivery time.

"Now, if I didn't do pre-natal work here we would really have a problem, because a lot of (her patients) don't have the money to drive elsewhere to get pre-natal care," Beavers said.

Beavers said she wants to make it clear that her OB services are not going away. Her patients can continue to get pre-natal care, as opposed to going nine months without seeing a doctor, only to show up at the emergency room for delivery.

"Those who choose not to get pre-natal care could cause a problem," Beavers said. "They'll be provided coverage, and continuous care ... they have no excuse ... I will discourage them from waiting until the last minute."

Beavers said she understands why, under private ownership, the hospital closed the OB department.

In the 1970s, upper middle class pregnant women began receiving care outside of this county, and they have not returned.

"Those people don't have a right to complain about the OB department closing," Beavers said. "If they (middle and upper class women) aren't coming here it's not possible to stay open ... OB departments don't make money. Bigger hospitals can make up for that loss in other areas, but smaller hospitals can't absorb that cost."

Beavers said that even though the new hospital has a nicer facility, compared to the OB facility at the old hospital, there wasn't enough time to wait and see if middle and upper class women returned to deliver their babies here.

"If this hospital continued to lose money in OB, (the corporate owners) would close the hospital, and then we'd have nothing," said Beavers, noting the county opted to sell the hospital because it was not making money.

Beavers emphasized that what has happened with Heritage Medical Center is not unique to Shelbyville, and that often in smaller towns patients have to drive somewhere else to deliver their babies.

"The real losers in this situation are the (OB nurses)," said Beavers, explaining her notice to stop delivering babies may have brought the OB issue to the front burner, but that ultimately the department still, likely, would have been closed due to finances. "My decision has ultimately made them have to travel or find another field they don't like as much, and I feel bad for them. They lost the most."

Beavers said her reason to stop delivering came about due to her age and the location of the new hospital. As the doctor who was delivering most of the babies delivered in Bedford County, her schedule was grueling.

"I just don't function well on four hours of sleep anymore," Beavers said.

She will continue, however, to run her general practice on Union Street, where she focuses on primary care, pediatrics and gynecological services. She'll also continue to do some general surgery, including gynecological surgeries.

And she'll continue, as she's done for decades, to see pregnant women who don't have insurance every Wednesday at the Bedford County Health Department.

"The bottom line is that my OB patients have not been deserted," Beavers said. "They need to realize that they can get every bit of care they need here, and we have a great, solid and comfortable working relationship with MTMC where they can deliver their babies. MTMC will be very accepting of these patients."