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Subject: Storks Nest Alternatives (UNCLASSIFIED)



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All,

With the advent of increasing levels of "normalcy" in Korea, we have
increased our monthly births from 25-30 per month to 50-55 per month at
the 121st CSH. This has caused a bit of a "Housing Issue" for our
Stork's Next. The Stork's Nest is now unable to accommodate all of our
38 week pregnant patients.

Area II leaders and the 121st CSH drafted reasonable and affordable
Housing Alternatives for our pregnant patients. The most affordable are
the Eighth Army Religious Retreat Center and the Walker Center at
YongSan. A copy of these alternatives is attached below.

Our OB staff will provide our patients a copy of these alternatives
during their New OB class, and during the third trimester (as a
reminder).

Our goal is to convince our OB patients to stay in Area II once they
reach 38 weeks (instead of thinking they can drive to the 121st CSH from
Uijanbou, Osan, Humphreys, etc.). Ladies who prefer to be seen at one
of our MOU facilities can, of course, do that as well -- but please
remember there is an up-front cost if the patient is TRICARE Standard
and they deliver in a Korean Hospital.

Request that you help us provide the widest dissemination of these
Storks Next Housing Alternatives to chains of command, service
components, FRGs, etc.

v/r Greg

<<Stork's Nest Housing Alternatives 2007-10.pdf>>

"Fit, Ready, Reliable -- Warrior Spirit!"

J. GREGORY JOLISSAINT
Colonel, Medical Corps, US Army
Commander 18th MEDCOM/121st CSH
Surgeon, US Forces Korea/Eighth US Army/UN Command
YongSan, South Korea




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There's No Toilet Paper on the Road Less Traveled.

Thanks for the heads up. Doea anyone know what exactly the Eighth Army Religious Retreat Center and the Walker Center are?

My husband stayed at the Walker Center for one night when he was at Yongsan for some training. He said that it is just big open bays of nothing but bunk beds. He said at least 60 bunk beds per wing and there are about 5 wings. The wings have red lights that stay on 24 hours a day. The bathrooms are the big gang bathrooms that you share.

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There's No Toilet Paper on the Road Less Traveled.

LOL, thats not much of an alternative. I hope they would at least let a pregnant person stay on the bottom bunk :)

Well that is certainly depressing news considering I am 35 weeks pregnant and was planning on taking my son to storks nest. I went up there a couple weeks ago and there were several rooms available at the storks nest. I think it is just random spurts, you never know when a bunch of pregnant ladies are going to pop in. I hope I don't go during a rush. They also only have 2, yes 2, delivery rooms. I hope I don't deliver in the hallway, lol.

Another depessing side note for those at Osan. I heard the ob/gyn midwife doctor is PCSing and so far they do not have a replacement. A friend of mine was just denied an OB apt at Osan. I'm up at 121 now so it doesn't affect me but I feel bad for all the other pregnant woman over here.

Warning venting pregnant woman: I often feel they don't care at all about us pregnant woman over here. Why do they give out comand sponsored slots if they can't accomodate families. And I hear they want to bring out more families and give more comand sponsored slots. Hello, when a soldier brings his wife you should expect that she may become pregnant. And why don't they have stork parking. I'm huge as a bus these days and I would love a closer spot around base. They had this at our previous base. Ok, I'm done now.

Well as far as the Osan OB, I was sure she just went on mid tour. I saw her right before she left and I have an appt. on 30 Oct so it's been about a month. She said she'd be "out of town" for a while.

I don't really want to go to any of those options, mostly because I have two girls that I'm not going to get to see since they have to go to school. And when you think you could be up there for 3 weeks (or more) depending on if you are late or not. That's really depressing to me!

I think the whole system they have here stinks

I just had my son up at the 121 on august 30th. My husband and I are't CS and I got into the storks nest at my 38th week. I had a friend up there with me and she had her son there with her. She got a bigger room then my husband and I because she had a child with her. The rooms are pretty nice, the only thing is, it's really boring up there. If I were to give you advise on the Walker Center, I would tell you not to go there. You can't sleep in a bed with your husband, he's not allowed in "the females bay". Its just like basic training for the military. Its nothing that a pregnant women would want to be in the far along in your pregnancy. Just make sure that you're on the list with the lady that runs the storks nest and keep calling back every day to make sure that there are slots. I had my son when they were expecting 60 babies to be born that month. And to tell you the truth it does feel like they don't really care about the Pregnant women over here, but once you get up to the WICU you will feel soo wonderful. The doctors and nurses are wonderful people and I have never had a more wonderful experence in a hospital then I did there. They actually have 3 delivery rooms and if you are more then 4 cm dilated they will rush you to a korean hospital. They wont admit you into the hospital until you're 4 cm and your contractions are regular. If you have any question I can answer just about anything about 121 and the storks nest. I hope that helps you out just a little bit.

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Wife to A1C Preston Furtick and loving mother to Nathan Lee.

Thank you for all the info. I'm still hoping to get into the Storks Nest. I'm 36 weeks today, so only 2 more to go. I have a backup reservation at Dragon Hill. So I figure if I can't get right in I will stay there until a spot opens up. I hope that my water doesn't suddenly brake before then. I've been to the ER and I really do not want to deliver there.

When I went up to the 121 a few weeks ago they showed me the 2 rooms that were available and said the others were being renavated. Maybe the renavated ones will be completed soon. When I went in all the nurses were very nice. I'm just hoping it is slow at the time I deliver.

Laura, I completely understand your frustration,and what you're talking about..please don't lose hope or patience! :) The one thing to remember when it comes to the increase in command sponsorships is that we're really just beginning to see that come into play.. this is a fairly new thing for everyone involved in the command, and what we're seeing now is just a preliminary phase.. just as they're having to make physical improvements to the base to accomodate things,they have to make changes at command levels higher than the base to make the shift from what has previously been a remote base to the projected eventual "normal PCS" base to get more medical staff in here.

While most of us here now will not likely see or benefit from the improvements, those who will be coming 5-10 years down the road may know an Osan totally different than what we know and see now. Change is slow in coming, unfortunately, throughout the military period, but we've seen some good strides made in the past few years, the new Towers and the new Middle School under construction are testament to that... let's hope that the trend will continue,and devote ourselves as a community to helping that "better place" become a reality.

As far as the Stork Parking area... unfortunately, parking at Osan is at a premium, and until there's a substantial increase in availability overall, I don't think "specialty" parking for pregnant moms is a huge priority, unfortunately. It's one of those "niceties" that isn't actually required or observed everywhere- the last stateside base I was at didn't have maternity parking, and there was no limitation of space there, they just didn't observe it.

It also could be that parking for pregnant moms just hasn't been something that anyone's thought of before... you might try suggesting it through official channels, or at the next Town Hall meeting. what can they do but say "no"?

Dee :)

I'm surprised they don't have Stork parking at Osan. I know we have it at the PX here. You could also try suggesting it on ICE...or is that only army?

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Have a Blessed Day!

Michelle