A crowd of about 100 people rally July 14 in support of the birthing center at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger BRATTLEBORO — As medical groups call for higher state reimbursements to help Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s birthing center stay open, local leade rs are debating whether to ask residents to assist by raising municipal taxes for an unspecified donation. “The choice belongs to the taxpayer, and it’s one that deserves an open, transparent and thoughtful public discussion,” Selectboard member Peter Case told his colleagues Tuesday of hopes to hold a special Town Meeting as early as September. “Property values, economic development, emergency care, physician recruitment and the community’s ability to attract young families all depend on a strong hospital.” The not-for-profit regional healthcare hub, facing a projected $14.5 million overall budget deficit after recent management upheaval, announced July 1 it would close obstetric services within the next six to nine months if it can’t find a way to cover estimated unit losses of $4.8 million this fiscal year. “The BMH Birthing Center’s financial challenges stem from structural issues that affect rural hospitals across Vermont, including inadequate reimbursement for obstetrical services, declining birth volumes and rising costs,” the hospital said in a statement Wednesday. “These are challenges that require both immediate assistance and long-term policy solutions.” In a letter released this week, seven medical groups representing 3,000 Vermont clinicians urged Gov. Phil Scott and the state Agency of Human Services to help the hospital by raising Medicaid obstetric reimbursement rates to match those paid for other primary care services. Medicaid pays for nearly half of Windham County births, the groups noted — a ratio higher than the state average of 36.9%. “The Department of Vermont Health Access has the authority to increase reimbursement for these services immediately,” wrote the heads of the Vermont Medical Society, Vermont Academy of Family Physicians, Vermont Nurse Practitioners Association, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and state branches of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Nurse-Midwives and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The state has received the letter but has yet to respond, an Agency of Human Services spokesperson told VTDigger Tuesday afternoon. For its part, the five-member Brattleboro Selectboard voted unanimously Tuesday night to explore holding a special Town Meeting to consider a tax hike to aid the birthing center. Local leaders haven’t discussed a specific proposed sum above their current $27 million annual budget, although Town Manager John Potter offered a memo Tuesday with a potential range of $100,000 to $1 million. “The model we’re talking about here would be a one-time special assessment that would not be baked into the budget going forward,” Selectboard Chair Oscar Heller said. The hospital is the only Vermont facility providing obstetrical services in Windham and Windsor counties, with the nearest alternatives located in New Hampshire at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon. Rural hospitals in Vermont and nationwide have cut birthing services in recent years, including Copley Hospital in Morrisville and Springfield Hospital.  Brattleboro hospital officials weren’t present at Tuesday’s selectboard meeting. “The willingness of the selectboard to explore every available option, including potential municipal support, reflects the deep value our community places on ensuring families can continue to access labor and delivery services close to home,” the hospital said in a statement Wednesday. “We continue to pursue a comprehensive solution that includes state support, philanthropy and other sustainable funding opportunities.” Several residents at Tuesday’s meeting questioned the usefulness of a tax hike, noting a hospital-distributed list of talking points said “while one-time grants are helpful and appreciated, they do not address the ongoing structural funding gap.” Residents also said the town has yet to address its own costly problems, be it repairing infrastructure or replacing its aging public works garage and public swimming pool — each carrying multimillion-dollar price tags. READ MORE “We cannot afford to fund what the municipality needs,” said Dick DeGray, a former selectboard chair who voiced the belief that many people rallying for the birthing center were citing more fears than facts. “This has become a heart issue, not a head issue. We need to do our homework.”  Real estate agent Susan Bellville asked local leaders to seek financial help from the 21 other towns in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts that rely on the facility. “It makes absolutely no sense for Brattleboro to be standing there attempting to raise money to help the hospital when we have absolutely no buy-in from anybody else who uses it,” Bellville said. The selectboard has yet to publicize another session on the matter, although members suggested Tuesday they could schedule a follow-up discussion for as early as next week. Residents have expressed growing frustration with local spending. A year ago, Brattleboro defeated a proposed municipal budget for the first time in its Town Meeting history, rejecting a $25 million initial plan that would have raised taxes 12.1%. This spring, residents approved the current municipal budget’s 6.3% tax increase only after considering a call for level funding. “If we keep raising taxes,” resident Randy Blodgett said in proposing the lower number earlier this year, “when do we break people’s backs?” Read the story on VTDigger here: Brattleboro weighs a municipal tax hike to aid the local hospital’s endangered birthing center. ...read more read less