State closes birthing center

Published 9:00 pm Friday, August 10, 2001

By Marcie Miller

Herald Writer

ARLINGTON — State health officials suspended the license of an Arlington childbirth center and ordered it to close immediately, following the discovery of a birth at the center without qualified staffing, authorities said Friday.

Troubles began for The WomanCare Clinic and Midwifery Services Inc. Childbirth Center when the state suspended the license of owner and midwife Christine Campbell on July 23 following the death of an infant in her care in February.

Gary Bennett, director of facilities and services licensing for the state Health Department, said Friday that the license suspension alone would not have been enough to close the facility if the center had found another qualified midwife.

But when the agency learned that a baby had been born at the center without qualified staff in attendance, they launched an investigation immediately.

"Our investigation found conditions at the childbirth center that threaten the health, safety and well being of patients," Bennett said. "The conditions make it impossible for the center to provide quality health care."

However, Charlene Jenkins, a nurse at the clinic, said Friday the clinic portion of the center is still seeing patients for prenatal care, and that only the birthing center is closed.

She said Campbell has referred her patients to other care providers, but the clinic at least is "still taking care of women."

Attempts to contact Campbell and her attorney, Gerald Tarutis, late Friday were unsuccessful.

The inspection process began on July 24 when a clinic administrator informed the state that the birthing center lacked the qualified staff needed for its birthing care services.

State records indicate that the administrator failed to tell inspectors there had been a "rapid onset" live birth at the center at 2:14 a.m. that day — one day after the state suspended Campbell’s license. They learned of that during a July 24 interview with a clinic nurse, the documents note.

Bennett said it is unclear just who was present at the birth, or what their qualifications were, although documents show there was at least a naturopathic doctor present. On July 26, the state requested documentation of the qualifications of this person or anyone else present at the birth, but the center did not provide them.

Medical records the state obtained from the childbirth center show the infant and mother were transferred to a hospital at 4:15 a.m.

According to the statement of charges, when center personnel did not provide the documents, the state moved to close the center. Charges were filed Aug. 8, and the center’s license was summarily suspended.

The inspection between July 24 and 26 uncovered a substantial number of violations, Bennett said.

Bennett said these violations "made it very, very certain" that they would close the center, but the lack of qualified staff alone would have been enough.

"You don’t operate a facility like a birthing center without qualified staff," Bennett said. "You can’t just pull people off the street."

During the inspection, health officials found the two birthing rooms in a state of disarray with building materials due to a remodeling in process, according to the state’s paperwork.

Inspectors noted that one room was crowded with furniture, while the vinyl pad on the delivery table in another was cracked, "making disinfection difficult, if not impossible."

In the laundry room, inspectors reportedly found "dirty clothes that appeared to be underwear and sweats piled on the floor in front of the dryer rather than in the dirty laundry hamper, other designated dirty laundry area or the washer."

Campbell is a registered nurse and has been an advanced registered nurse practitioner since 1994. She is the vice president of WomanCare Clinic and Midwifery Services Inc. Her husband, Greg Campbell, is the president of the corporation.

Bennett said the childbirth center has until Aug. 20 to request a hearing on the closure order. The Campbells have 28 days to respond to the charges. The center must also notify all patients that they need to seek alternative care.

The statement of charges filed against Campbell by the state’s Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission details the events leading up to the infant’s death in February. Documents show both mother and infant suffered considerable distress during labor, birth and after delivery, but a pediatrician was not called until 8 a.m., six hours after delivery.

The infant, which was found to have severe neurological deficits, died March 2 in a hospital neonatal intensive care unit.

The state formally charged Campbell with unprofessional conduct, and her license was suspended.

You can call Herald Writer Marcie Miller at 425-339-3292

or send e-mail to mmiller@heraldnet.com.