" We also had a horrible experience at AMH. My wife was having a scheduled C-Section prepped and on the table. The DR and the anethesgiolgist were in the hall having a full blown shouting match arguing about each others protocall. This gave me a warm fuzzy feeling about being there. After the birth my wife was to be in the hospital to recover for 3 days. After the first day of taking care of her myself we decided to go home. The post op care was horrific. Our first child was born at Community General. It was well worth the drive. No skin off my back if the close down AMH maternity ward. "

" Um, she is NOT blaming anyone. Specifically, she says, This error in judgment may or may not have resulted in the death of my premature daughter, I'll never know. Read all the words, people. I had two kids, both at Community. 15 and 17 years ago, so I have no idea how Community is today. It was a wonderful experience then, though. And here's why I chose a Syracuse hospital: if anything were to happen to a newborn baby, where would it go for advanced treatment? Syracuse. So, if that worst case scenario were to happen, why in the world would I want to be almost an hour away from the advanced care my kid might need? If I were to have a baby today, I'd make the same choice. When my daughters have children, I will advise them to go to Syracuse, too, if they are still in the area and have not decided to settle elsewhere after college. "

" To taxpayer1, the room I delivered Alexis in was a tiny dingy room. And yeag, it may have been 6 years ago, but have you ever lost a baby, after feeling her move in your stomach, and have her breath our air for an hour, when there may have been more done. "

" ok.. L. Baker, may the blame lays more in the ER staff. When I went there, I told the receptionist that I was 21 weeks pregnant and having a really bad abdominal pain. That person told me to go wait in the waiting room. My husband and I sat in the waiting room for 2 hours before anyone saw, every once in a while they'd look over. I was in obvious pain. It wasn't until I went to the bathroom, because I wanted to check myself, and ran out of the bathroom sobbing, I knew I was losing the baby. THat was when they took me into the maternity ER. My husband told them to call my OB, they said they had an ER dr. who was here to take care of me. Several months earlier I had been to the AMH hemmoraging, I almost died. He told them that, they told him if he wanted my OB, he had to call him. He asked if he could use their phone. They said no, he had to go out to our car, got money, came in. He asked them if they could give him the dr's number, they said they didn't have it. That was a lie, since he is on staff there. It wasn't until they read my medical report from when I had been there before that they called my OB. Before the OB got there, no one checked the fetal heart beat. I was at AM a total of about 4 hours before anything really was done. I think I should be a little upset, don't you? ! "

" Mary Ann, my condolences on the loss of your beautiful baby girl. "

" I would like to respond to the letter sent by Mary Ann Packard. I have had four children in Auburn Memorial and lost one. Two of the births being rather difficult. The whole healthcare staff from begining to end were wonderful. Some times things - even horrible things happen. To lay blame some years later really isn't fair, but to place blame on a whole facility is wrong. This hospital has been here and helped alot of us or our families at one time or another. We owe it to ourseves and our families to do something positive! Is their anyone bothered that someday Auburn isn't going to be able to provide assistance with births or emergency healthcare? Imagine how many will suffer then. "

" Hello!? your bad experience was SIX YEARS AGO!!!! The place has changed a LOT since then. In the past four years I have known families that used both AMH and Community. Community was cold and the rooms were more like prison cells. The AMH ward was friendly and the rooms are much nicer. Six years is a long time and you cannot judge what the place does now based on one bad experience so long ago. "

" Id like to comment on MaryAnn Packard. I had 2 kids at amh and I dont think I would of had such good treatment anywhere else.You cant blame the nurses for your loss if anything blame the Dr. A nurse cant make decisions without DR permission. Its people like you that give our local hospital a bad name.Lets think of others in our community now alotof women in Auburn cant afford to go elsewhere to have a child what are they to do? have their child in unhealthy places? Id like to say to the maternity staff at AMH keep up the good work. "

" THere are more things to this story that I did not put in my story, like the staff REFUSING to call my OB. Then not letting my husband use their phone so that he could call him., he had go out and scrounge for change in our car. Oh yeah, they are real nice there! "

" It is not the hospitals but rather the Doctors. Any one who does business with a doctor who perfers you to travel to Syracuse so that he can work on you (that is where his client base is) is not worth the time, effort or money you are paying them. Auburn's hospital care level is solely base on it's doctor's deciation to your area. A doctor who lives in Auburn area and travels to Syracuse to preform is in the business for the money, not your health care. Boycott these idiots and support the loyal practioners. Period. "

" I think the hospital has gotten better over the years in some areas. I had a baby at AMH 2.5 years ago and had a fairly decent experience there. I had a baby in October of this year at Community General and was not impressed at all. Things for back then does not represent how things are there now. Sorry for your loss but I think they should stay open and the hospital does need to work on the ER and the emergencies that come in. I recently took my daughter in for a hernea and the dr. told me not to worry about it unless it comes out again. She has since had surgery for it in another hospital. Please keep in mind that the doctors from 6 years ago might not even still be there! "