Dr. Alison Barrett and her two children arrived back in Canada from New Zealand just last night (Wednesday). Her husband will be following shortly.
Barrett is a fully-licensed Canadian trained physician, formally educated at the University of Toronto, who has spent the last 10 years practising in New Zealand. She was clinical director of maternal services at Waikato Hospital outside of Hamilton, New Zealand.
She is strong advocate for breast feeding according to articles in a variety of publications online. She has served on numerous breast feeding and La Leche boards and committees.
The hospital announced Feb. 15 that it had signed an agreement with an OB/Gyn, but didn't release the name of the physician at the time.
It is anticipated that an OB/Gyn with Barrett's credentials will be a big incentive for local women to once again choose the community hospital to have their baby. During talks of the closing of the unit, it was also mentioned that a female OB/Gyn could also draw even more patients, since many women prefer to be treated by a female obstetrician.
Now that a doctor is almost in place, a formal announcement with an exact date of the re-opening of the birthing unit at the Alliston Hospital will be made next week according to SMH physician recruitment and community relations co-ordinator Kate Mooij.
Although unconfirmed, the unit is expected to be open by the end of April.
Once the unit is up and running, the hospital will continue to work to attract two more obstetricians to get it fully staffed and provide 24/7 coverage.
The birthing unit drew a firestorm of attention from the community when it was closed in December of 2006.
The hospital's board of directors had a Community Advisory Committee review the issue. The group recommended the re-opening of the unit as soon as possible.
In addition, the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care had an Expert Panel examine the options for a viable birthing unit in the community. In May of 2007, the panel recommended the service be re-instated in partnership with Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket.
As part of the integrated services Stevenson updated its policies and procedures to reflect those of Southlake. In addition, a Director of Maternal Child Services and a Clinical Coordinator have been appointed, nurses have been refreshed in their training at Southlake and the birthing unit has been renovated.
