EMT's deliver baby on Highway 75 - KSNT

[island emt]

EMT's don't deliver babies...mom's deliver babies...

Women have been birthing babies for centuries without assistance from EMS, fire ,or the police.

EMT's clean up the mess in the back of the truck.

[Curiosity]

Are ambulances in the states really so expensive that women would rather have their babies in their cars or people would rather risk dying than call one?

Edited December 14, 2012 by Curiosity

[island emt]

i've heard of places out west , where the billing starts at over a thousand for a bls truck just to turn a wheel. Think there was one commercial contract in the news recently where it started at over $1400.00

in this area a bls run starts @ $300.00, ALS @ $400

Our service doesn't charge here. we are ALS transport 911

[Just Plain Ruff]

Hell, that's nothing, I helped Mom deliever a baby on a sofa in a run down trailer in a blinding snowstorm in the middle of the night and I didn't get my name in the paper.

I feel jipped.

[eb1040]

Are ambulances in the states really so expensive that women would rather have their babies in their cars or people would rather risk dying than call one?

With all the babies being born daily there probably would not be enough ambulances to run all the calls. For every 1000 babies born in an area, 999 of those probably were done so without an ambulance. At most it would be an IFT to take the mother and/or baby to a more appropriate facility.

But, the cost of an ambulance, (let's say $1000), is nothing compared to the cost of the hospital which can run up to $20k. A few years ago hospital held the release of the birth certificate until the bill was paid.

Also a few years ago, women living in very poor areas would call for an ambulance, usually volunteer (free or min charge), to deliver or witness a delivery of the baby. Then it was just a quck check up and signature of a physician or midwife to get the birth certificate signed without the expense of the hospital.

I will add that for the cost of an ambulance, even if it is BLS and going by a private company, some FDs are now also charging an additional response (nontransport) fee which can be as high as $500.

[paramedicmike]

A few years ago hospital held the release of the birth certificate until the bill was paid.

Say what? Got anything to back this up? Birth certificates are vital records. They are completed upon birth and sent to a local government agency for storage and record keeping. Withholding the release of the birth certificate would bring the wrath of the local goverment. The hospital doesn't own birth certificates and I cannot imagine, nor can I find any information on, withholding the paperwork because of failure to pay a bill.

[eb1040]

Say what? Got anything to back this up? Birth certificates are vital records. They are completed upon birth and sent to a local government agency for storage and record keeping. Withholding the release of the birth certificate would bring the wrath of the local goverment. The hospital doesn't own birth certificates and I cannot imagine, nor can I find any information on, withholding the paperwork because of failure to pay a bill.

The birth can still be recorded but just like the title to your car, you may not take physical possession of it until YOU own it and not the bank. The hospital would record the birth with the county and you might get a verification of birth. Once the hospital notified the country that all was settled, the actual certificate would be released. The process of adoption and state custody also runs through a similar process.

It also was not that uncommon for the births to not be recorded immediately since they were home births. We also didn't have all the computer records we have now not that long ago. Kids weren't born with an iPOD and iPAD attached.

Anybody born before 1980 might remember hearing about this.

Edited December 14, 2012 by eb1040

[paramedicmike]

The birth is recorded and birth certificates are requested from the vital statistics office or similar. They are not requested from the hospital. Hospitals do not own birth certificates and can't withhold the information from the government agency collecting the information.

[eb1040]

The birth is recorded and birth certificates are requested from the vital statistics office or similar. They are not requested from the hospital. Hospitals do not own birth certificates and can't withhold the information from the government agency collecting the information.

I just edited for a more indepth explanation.

It is not uncommon for a county to withhold issuing the actual certificate for several reasons even today. Verification of birth, recording and the actual certificate are all different processes. It there is or was unfinished business concerning your birth, then the actual cert was not issued. That does not mean there was no record of your birth recorded. But, that was also an issue back then when some births did not get recorded.

Remember, this was in the past as I mentioned. You obviously are too young to remember home birthing and when people actually paid cash for hospital bills. Talk to your grandparents about the good ol' days.

Edited December 14, 2012 by eb1040

[paramedicmike]

You're funny.

I'm much older than you think I am. So you can drop the "you're too young" stuff.

Home births wouldn't require a hospital bill which negates part of your argument. Nevermind that you're now saying that it was a delay in reporting the birth, and not the lack of bill payment, that would hold up the release of birth certificates.

Once the birth is recorded it's the vital statistics agency that releases the copy of the birth certificate. Any outstanding hospital bill wouldn't have any affect on the release of that information. Now, if you want to argue that not paying for a copy of the birth certificate will hold up the release I'd buy that.