BEVERLY, Mass. -- Supporters are rallying to save the North Shore Birth Center, which is considering closure because of a sharp rise in malpractice insurance premiums.
Trustees of Northeast Health System were scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss the future of the center, which serves women with low-risk pregnancies who wish to give birth naturally in a quiet setting.
Christa Terry, who is expecting in March, told The Salem News that supporters of the center planned to hold signs outside Beverly Hospital as trustees arrived for the meeting.
Nearly 100 babies are born each year at the 28-year-old facility, one of only two freestanding birth centers in Massachusetts.
Northeast Health, which also owns the hospital, issued a statement earlier this month saying it was evaluating services at the center because of the significant rise in malpractice premiums.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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