Is there another private hospital in our area? Parkway was so nice. It is a shame what they have done to it.

Thank you Obamacare

parkway is a deatrhtrap i would rather go to decatur general even though parkway is closer!

Myra, why do you say parkway is a deathtrap? Just wondering...

Nothing to do with Obamacare. It's because of the merger with Decatur General. Huntsville Hospital is trying to save money. They need to turn Parkway into a Women's and Children's Hospital.

Myra, really? Why do you say that? I have never had anything by very good care there. My first child was born at Decatur General and my second at Parkway. The care and attention we got there was heads and shoulders above Decatur General. Of course, that was when Parkway was a private facility. I think it is a shame that the great service offered at Parkway will no longer be available.

Debra, it actually has quite a bit to do with Obamacare. Huntsville Hospital is grabbing all these hospitals because under Obamacare smaller hospitals can't survive under it. Healthcare experts have been quoted often in saying that Obamacare will force many hospitals to either close or have to merge into a regional system, like what is going on with Decatur General and Parkway merging with Huntsville Hospital.

I don't know about the labor and delivery at Parkway, but I do know for a FACT that they were responsible for my mother's death several years ago. I have been to the ER there and was impressed with them, but the inpatient care is sorely lacking, or was at one time.

Women and Childrens Pavillion was totally different from Med-Surg at Parkway! I had 2 babies at Decatur General and my last one at Parkway, had excellent service, but I would not be admitted to their medsurg floor!!

Huntsville Hospital, being a non-profit organization, is swimming in money. They have to do something with it, so they have been buying up hospitals as fast as they can.

Ben, being a non-profit, they also have to absorb all of the cost of the non-payers, also! Apparently you have never worked in the Health Care field before! The only way to make a profit, is to band together, so they can order supplies and materials cheaper. Just wait until obammy care kicks in, and everyone has to go before the panel on whether you can have a procedure done! One part went into effect on Oct 1st, 2012, hospitals will be fined 1%for patients that are re-admitted within 30 days for the same thing, this covers CHF, Pneumonia, and a couple of other diagnosis, and it goes up to 2% in 2013, and 3% in 2014, plus they are including more diagnosis every year. You can bet that hospitals will NOT be re-admitting, the profit margin is so low, most of them CAN NOT afford too!!!

In 2006 I had a major surgery. I knew I was not ready to be discharged. Got discharged anyway. I was re-admitted within 3 days from complications. This discharge & re-admit went on for 2 MONTHS. I don't know why this was going on; but it cannot be blamed on Obamacare!

It is shameful that some have to turn this into a debate about the President's healthcare iniatives. The political discourse in this country has become reprehensible. Rhetoric and ignorance has taken the place of genuine debate. During this current Congress there have been nearly 400 filibusters that have caused a stalemate where both sides are afraid of transparency and debate. Huntsville Hospital's decisions on how to manage their healthcare system are not predicated on rumors, innuendo, and ignorance of the President's healthcare system.