Toll-Free Number 1-800-BASSETT

Birthing Center 607-547-3535

Ob/Gyn Nurses 607-547-3222/3226

Ob/Gyn Clinic (Monday-Friday, 8:30-5:00) (appointments) 607-547-3160

Nurse Practitioners 607-547-6556

Elizabeth Perry, NP

Christine Weiss, RNC, WHCNP

Physician Assistants 607-547-3052

Patricia Reynolds, PA
Georgia Frevele, PA

Prenatal Care Assistance Program (PCAP) 607-547-3091

Nellie Marino, Outreach Worker

John Dewey, MD – Obstetrician/Gynecologist-in-Chief 607-547-3170

Marc Heller, MD 607-547-3170

Dana Jock, MD 607-547-3052

Karen McShane, MD 607-547-3052

Balazs Selendy, MD 607-547-3052

Canajoharie Health Center 518-673-5555

Community Health Center 607-264-3036

Edmeston-Burlington Health Center 607-965-8900

Herkimer Health Center* 315-867-2710

Norwich Health Center 607-336-2718

Oneonta Health Center* 607-433-1790

Oneonta Specialty Services* 607-433-6300

Richfield Springs Health Center 315-858-0040

Butternut Valley Health Center 607-263-5111

O’Connor Women’s Health Center* 607-746-0525

Bassett Hospital of Schoharie County* 518-254-3307

*Staffed by Ob/Gyn Department Members

Emergency Room 607-547-3981

Physical Therapy 607-547-3450

Dietitian 607-547-3460

Childbirth Class Scheduler 607-547-3170

Lactation Consultant 507-547-3535

Breast Pump Rental Station 607-547-3535

New York State's Maternity Information Law requires each hospital to provide the following information about its childbirth practices and procedures. This information can help you to better understand what you can expect, learn more about your childbirth choices, and plan for your baby's birth.

Most of the information is given in percentages of all the deliveries occurring in the hospital during a given year. For example, if 20 births out of 100 are by cesarean section, the cesarean rate will be 20%. If external fetal monitoring is used in 50 out of 100 births, or about one-half of all births, the rate will be 50%.

This information alone does not tell you that one hospital is better than another for you. If a hospital has fewer than 200 births a year, the use of special procedures in just a few births could change its rates.

The types of births could affect the rates as well. Some hospitals offer specialized services to women who are expected to have complicated or high-risk births, or whose babies are not expected to develop normally. These hospitals can be expected to have higher rates of the special procedures than hospitals that do not offer these services. This information also does not tell you about your doctor's or nurse-midwife's practice. However, the information can be used when discussing your choices and wishes with your doctor or nurse-midwife and to find out if his or her use of special procedures is similar to or different from that of the hospital.

You should play an active role in making your childbirth the kind of experience you want. To do so, you need information. Take part in childbirth preparation classes, and read books about childbirth. Ask questions and discuss your wishes with your doctor or nurse-midwife. A free booklet, "Your Guide to a Healthy Baby," is available from the State Department of Health. For your copy, just write: Healthy Babies, Box 2000, Albany, NY 12220.

At Bassett Healthcare, prenatal care is provided by a team of certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, and obstetricians. This team is committed to helping you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. We offer prenatal care in Cooperstown and at ten Bassett community health centers throughout the region (see list on back). Low-risk clients can schedule their prenatal visits at the site of their choice.

Prenatal care and delivery services are available to income-eligible women through the Prenatal Care Assistance Program (PCAP). For more information, or to make an appointment, call:

A certified nurse-midwife is educated in the two disciplines of nursing and midwifery and cares for women and their infants during the childbearing years. To become certified, the nurse-midwife must complete a course of study in an accredited educational program, and pass a rigorous examination administered for the American College of Nurse-Midwives by the ACNM Certification Council, Inc. State requirements for nurse-midwifery must also be met.

For centuries, women have looked to midwives to advise and assist them in childbirth. Today’s certified nurse-midwife carries on this tradition of personal, family-centered, understanding care. In addition, today’s nurse-midwife is also a highly-skilled health professional, able to draw on the vast resources of modern medicine to give patients the best care possible.

Although certified nurse-midwives independently manage the care of healthy women and newborns, each nurse-midwife is affiliated with a physician, who is available for consultation or referral if needed.

Personal, Ongoing Care for Women and Newborns

Before and after pregnancy, the nurse-midwife advises you about reproductive health, conception and personal care, and provides regular gynecological services such as yearly pelvic and breast exams and Pap smears. Healthy post-menopausal women also may use the services of a nurse-midwife.

During pregnancy, the nurse-midwife monitors your health and that of your baby. Your nurse-midwife will also answer any questions you have and provide education on nutrition, exercise, childbirth methods, infant health, and what to expect as a parent.

During labor, the nurse-midwife evaluates the progress of labor and offers you ongoing support. You can expect your nurse-midwife to make every effort to facilitate the natural processes of labor and to involve your family in the delivery process as you wish.

Should the course of labor deviate from the normal, the nurse-midwife will consult with the back-up physician.

At birth, the nurse-midwife assists you throughout delivery, examines your newborn, and helps you and your family in welcoming your new baby.

After delivery, the nurse-midwife provides you with follow-up care and offers advice on self-care, breast or bottle feeding, and infant care.

More and more women are finding that nurse-midwifery services are a safe, sensitive and personal form of health care. Any woman who is in generally good health can take advantage of the services of a nurse-midwife throughout and beyond her childbearing years.

Nurse-midwives typically work in hospitals, birthing centers, health maintenance organizations, public health departments, private practices and clinics. Usually, nurse-midwives deliver babies in hospitals or birthing centers. Some nurse-midwives deliver babies in the home, if certain safety criteria are met.

Nurse-midwifery services are covered by most private medical insurance carriers. Services are also covered under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS), Medicaid and Medicare.

Nurse-midwifery had its beginnings in the United States in Eastern Kentucky in the 1920s. For the first time, women in rural, mountainous areas could obtain the services of a specially trained registered nurse sent in by the Frontier Nursing Service.

Over the next fifty years, nurse-midwives built their tradition of professional, affordable maternal and infant care. Then in the early 1970s, interest in natural childbirth began to grow and childbearing families began to seek the personalized care of nurse-midwives. Some nurse-midwives began setting up birthing centers that combined the safety of hospital care with the comfort of a home-like setting.

Today, over 4000 certified nurse-midwives practice in all 50 states and in many other communities around the world.

Over the years, nurse-midwives have maintained a superb record of safety and client satisfaction. They have also made a significant contribution to healthier births. A report by the Institute of Medicine points out that nurse-midwives are particularly effective in managing the care of pregnant women, and that such care results in fewer premature and underweight babies.

To find out more about nurse-midwifery services available in your area, or for a listing of accredited university-affiliated nurse-midwifery education programs, contact:

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