NEW BIRTH WARD TO BE BUILT; LANCASTER COMMUNITY HOSPITAL BUDGETS $4 MILLION.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

Lancaster Community Hospital plans to start construction early next year on a $4 million obstetrics ward, giving expectant mothers a choice of local hospitals for delivering their babies.

Lancaster Community officials want to establish a maternity ward to attract contracts from health maintenance organizations and other health-insurance plans that want full-service hospitals.

``It will provide the community with another alternative and allow us to be more competitive . . . for managed care contracts,'' said Chief Executive Officer John Fidler.

The hospital plans to add a 12,000-square-foot, 12-bed obstetrics ward that could handle 150 deliveries a month. It would have six rooms for labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum procedures, six additional maternity rooms, and a nursery.

It will take about a year to build, Fidler said.

Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster is now the only local hospital providing obstetric services. About 4,700 to 5,000 babies are delivered there every year.

In March of 1996 the owner, Paracelsus Health Care Corp., closed Desert Palms Community Hospital, the other hospital with an obstetrics ward. It used to deliver 15 babies a month.

Paracelsus, which also owns Lancaster Community, planned to open an obstetrics ward there sooner, but the project was put on hold when Paracelsus merged with Houston-based Champion Healthcare Corp. in 1996.

Fidler said the project's architectural drawings have been completed and are undergoing final review by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.

``The concept is single-room obstetrical care. It's centered around the mother and family with the ability to have the labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum all within same room,'' Fidler said. ``As opposed to moving the mother at various critical stages of birth, we will bring the services to the mother.''

Fidler said there is a genuine need for another maternity ward because of the Antelope Valley's growing population.

``It makes us a full-service hospital,'' Fidler said. ``Right now, since we don't provide that service, we have a disadvantage in managed-care contracting. This makes us more competitive in relation to Antelope Valley Hospital.''

In 1992, Antelope Valley Hospital paid Lancaster Community Hospital $250,000 to drop a 5-year-old antitrust lawsuit alleging AVH engaged in unfair competition by requiring health maintenance organizations and insurance companies to use AVH for all members if any wanted obstetrics services.

Under the settlement, AVH agreed not to engage in the conduct for 18 months.