Editor,

As the manager of the Whidbey Family Birth Place, I would like to respond to the letter to the editor in this past Wednesday’s newspaper about the 2013 cesarean section rate at Whidbey General Hospital.

When that rate was published, we had already begun efforts to reduce the c/section rate by applying for and being selected to be part of the LEAPT project which was sponsored by the Washington State Hospital Association and featured in last week’s “People” section of this paper. This quality improvement project had several aims: delaying hospital admission until women are actively laboring, reducing labor inductions and expectantly managing labor, which contributed to a 25 percent reduction in cesarean deliveries in 2014.

Like many other Critical Access Hospitals, Whidbey General Hospital cannot currently offer VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean), due to the difficulties hospitals our size have in meeting recommended requirements to safely do so. In spite of this, our overall cesarean rate continues to be lower than the national average and is on par with Washington state’s average overall rate.

The Whidbey Family Birthplace continues to be dedicated to providing exceptional care to the 200 families who welcome their babies with us each year. Our community can take great comfort in the knowledge, skill and commitment to excellence demonstrated by our board-certified obstetricians, certified nurse midwife and compassionate obstetric nurses who provide exceptional care for the Island.

I would welcome anyone desiring more information on this topic to contact me.

TRISH L. NILSEN,

Whidbey General Hospital