The hospital announced yesterday the meeting will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church on King Street South in Alliston at 7 p.m.

The decision about where to deliver a baby is a personal one -- one that comes with choices. Some women choose to have a home birth, while others want to be in a hospital setting. Some women who opt for a hospital birth don't always have to be close to home, while others prefer it.

Local mothers are upset that Stevenson Memorial Hospital is considering the closure of its birthing unit, but not everyone in the community has opted to give birth there.

Maryon English from Beeton chose to have her baby at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket.

"I had already been with an obstetrician in Newmarket before I was pregnant," said English.

Her family doctor gave her a choice to where she could go for labour and delivery. "He could recommend me to a new OB here, or I could go to the OB I already knew. I felt comfortable staying with him, because I knew him."

English also worked in Toronto, and said it was easier to get to Newmarket after work for her prenatal check-ups.

"It wasn't that I was against Stevenson. It was the convenience -- it was easier for me to get to Newmarket."

The same holds true for Everett resident Jennifer Hoffarth, who had her son, Tristan Lacombe, May 13 this year.

She was on her way to Barrie's Royal Victoria Hospital when Tristan came early. She delivered him in the back of a van while on the way to the hospital.

"My doctor delivers in Barrie. That's the only place he will deliver - that was my number one factor," said Hoffarth. Tristan is her second child, and she decided to keep the same doctor as with her first.

But even if she had a choice, she would never deliver in Alliston. "If I could control it, I wouldn't, because if anything was to happen, they are not quite equipped to handle emergencies. I heard that they would ship you to different hospitals. Rather than be shipped around and have to worry about all that when you're having a baby, it was easier to go to Barrie.

"Then you know if something goes wrong, you're covered there."

Hoffarth understands residents' concerns about shutting the birthing unit in Alliston, and how it can mean a half-hour drive to Barrie.

After she was induced at RVH around 10 a.m. the day Tristan was born, Hoffarth was sent home at noon, as staff didn't believe she was in labour.

"I was in unbearable pain on the way home through Angus." Things progressed quicker than she expected, and by 3 p.m., she was on her way back up Highway 400, ready to deliver.

"Safety-wise, it's not recommended. I had my daughter natural the first time too. Yes, I was in a lot of pain and I would not wish that on anybody because there are so many factors that could come into play."

A lot of people wouldn't know what to do to check the baby.

She was sad to hear the birthing unit in Alliston would likely close, but said as a mother, she wanted to take all the precautions she could to protect her children.

While hospital staff, board members and administration have refused to comment about the impending decision, many expect when they do go public at next Wednesday's meeting, they'll point to the numbers. The number of births at SMH has been in flux for a number of years.

In the past five years, the highest number of births at SMH came in 2002/03 when 308 babies were born in the unit. There was a sharp drop in 2004/05 when the unit closed for the entire month of August for renovations, but in general, there has been a drop of about 10 births a year up until 2005 when 282 babies were born at the facility.

A chart obtained by The Herald shows the facility expects 226 births this year.

Comparatively, about roughly 1,000 babies were born in the hospital's catchment area in those same years.

The hospital currently only has one full-time doctor in the obstetrical department and has experienced a high turnover in the past five years.

Critics argue the numbers would climb sharply if the hospital would only bring another OB/GYN on board. There was also a shortage of anaesthetist over the past couple of years, but that shortage has now been resolved.

The numbers did experience a sharp spike in August and September of 2005, after the hospital had added two new OB/GYNs, Dr. Yacoub and Dr. Abdulhafid.

Petitions circulating throughout the community and backlash from a group of midwives in the area who depend on the birthing unit for their livelihood and clients indicate the community isn't happy with the closure of the birthing unit.

They are arguing that closing the unit would place local pregnant women who may be lower income, as well as single teenaged pregnant women a tough spot in particular. Many cannot afford even a cab ride to or from the local hospital, much less, where they are expected to be sent after the closure.

A major donor to the obstetrical department who recently gave the hospital $50,000 is also reported to have sent a letter to the hospital's board stating no further funds would be forthcoming should the unit close. It's unclear what, if anything, will happen to the equipment funded by the hospital's auxiliary and outside donations, including two fetal heart monitors, should the unit be shut down.

For his part, David Sadleir, chair of the SMH Foundation fundraising committee, said his priorities are for the diagnostic imaging, emergency room, and the infrastructure to support those projects, including networking, mechanical and electrical.

"The foundation's job is to seek priorities from the hospital board and to find the monies to do it," said Sadleir. "We count on the hospital board to keep us informed in a timely manner."

Thankfully, Sadleir said the dialysis unit has been supported by the Nottawasaga Foundation for the past two years, the Lions Club stepped up to the plate to help with the ophthalmology department, and the SMH Auxiliary is supporting the cardiac rehabilitation.

"Our goal is to raise $5 million, and the hospital needs three times that."

Sadleir said there were equipment upgrades to the birthing unit over the past few years, including a major donation for a special ultrasound kit, but that ward is not a priority for the hospital board.

"It was pretty modest stuff. The hospital has an endless list of equipment they need. The last time they gave us a list, it added up to $2 million. It has to be prioritized. We're going to do whatever can be done to make the hospital whole."

If a donor wanted to earmark funds to save the birthing unit, Sadleir said he would have to approach the hospital about it. "We'd have to be up front with the donor and tell them what we know. We don't make commitments to things that aren't established as a priority by the hospital board."

Sadleir said he is anxious to hear the outcome of the birthing unit decision, so he can be sure fundraising volunteers are well-informed. "The more certainty we can inject into the environment, the better it is for all of us, obviously. It does cause people to worry."

The SMH foundation was created in June, 2003, and Sadleir said it was still too new to see any effect on fundraising by the temporary closing of the ER. He said the fundraising campaign hasn't been launched to the public yet, but expects it to happen next summer.

For now, the committee is working with corporate donors to fund the hospital's priorities.

He said he wants clarity to know if the hospital's priorities are changing.

"This hospital can't be all things to all people, but it is here to serve the community."