More babies, circumcision services return to AdventHealth Ocala

Jul. 1--More babies will take their first breaths in Ocala starting in August after the Heart of Florida Health Center worked out a deal to have their Medicaid maternity patients deliver at AdventHealth Ocala.

For years, Medicaid patients from the Heart of Florida had to travel to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville to deliver their babies. But under the new agreement, those babies -- more than 2,600 last year -- will now be native Ocalans.

The deal also will bring in-house circumcision services back to AdventHealth Ocala, which the hospital's previous operator stopped providing several years ago.

"We have just signed that agreement and are excited about being able to help expecting moms in our community by providing care locally and eliminating the need for them to travel out of the area for labor and delivery. We want to make it easy for them to have access to the best care possible throughout their pregnancy and continue that care when it's time for the baby to be here," said Richelle Hoenes-Ahearn, AdventHealth Ocala spokeswoman.

In the interim, Heart of Florida will provide circumcision services locally.

Jamie Ulmer, Heart of Florida CEO, said he only recently learned circumcision was not available at AdventHealth Ocala. Those with private insurance were able to get the procedure done outside of the hospital, but no local doctors will accept Medicaid for circumcision services. That left mothers scrambling to find a provider outside the area before the Medicaid cut-off time for the procedure, which is 27 days after birth. After that, babies have to wait for months before Medicaid will cover the procedure.

"As part of the collaboration we worked out, all babies will be able to get circumcisions at the hospital before they leave," he said.

AdventHealth took over the lease of the hospital last August from Community Health Systems.

"This procedure was not offered prior to AdventHealth acquiring the hospital. However, we have plans for our medical teams to provide circumcision at AdventHealth Ocala within the next several weeks," Hoenes-Ahearn said.

AdventHealth Ocala is the only hospital in Marion County with maternity services.

Ulmer said the lack of access to circumcision for local Medicaid patients was an overlooked health care disparity.

"No one is saying your baby has to have a circumcision, but having the choice is first and foremost. How can you make a decision if you don't even have a choice?" he said.

A majority of baby boys, about 77 percent, in the United States get circumcised, but the rate has fallen from more than 80 percent since the 1960s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recommends circumcision for a number of reasons, including the reduced incidence of contracting HIV infection from an HIV-infected woman.

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