Incirlik's Storknesting options expand Published March 3, 2008 By Lori Burling Alves 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- In the next few months, more than a dozen American women will deliver babies in Turkey. Because of the scheduled runway closure and a new partnership with an accredited Ankara hospital, more women will "stork nest" in Turkey, which may prove to be a better option than storknesting in Germany. "Storknesting" is a program for women between 34 and 36 weeks of pregnancy who are sent to a designated location (Ankara or Landstuhl) to await the birth of their baby. The program was instituted because no accredited labor and delivery services are available in the local area. "We had our first stork nesting patient deliver in Ankara in February of 2007, so this is not necessarily a new thing. We have 17 stork nesting women who are going to be affected by the runway closure and after learning about the facility in Ankara, only one woman has opted to stork nest in Germany," said Major Beth Baykan, 39th Medical Group Women's Health Element chief. "People like choices so they'll still have the choice to stork nest in Germany, but with the runway closure and no available rotator, it's going to be cheaper and a lot easier to stork nest in Ankara." In the past, pregnant women at Incirlik traveled to Landstuhl Air Base, Germany during their third trimester to await their labor and delivery. The 39 MDG has patients storknest because hospitals in Adana were not Joint Commissioned International accredited hospitals. JCI accreditation is the gold-stamp of approval for quality care, said Major Baykan. However, Mesa Hospital, a new facility in Ankara, is now the first JCI accredited hospital in Ankara. For that reason, Mesa Hospital has joined Landstuhl as a viable stork nesting option. Although pregnant women may still go to Landstuhl during the runway closure, the Ankara option is more financially appealing. "Mesa Hospital really is a five-star facility," said Major Baykan. Mesa Hospital has become a premiere source of healthcare in Turkey and has partnered with Incirlik to provide obstetrical care for both active-duty women and dependents. The five-story hospital is equipped with a state-of-the-art Neonatal Intensive Care unit and OB care that equals German and U.S. standards. The facility's staff includes board certified OB/GYN and English-speaking doctors and nurses. Services available at the facility include an anesthesia department, birthing rooms, operating rooms, and a labor and delivery resuscitation room. All birthing rooms are equipped with baby warmers, oxygen tanks and fetal monitoring equipment -- all items Incirlik's medical team was looking for when they toured the facility. One of Mesa Hospital's benefits is the opportunity for patients to have a private room with a bathroom, if available. Worst case, patients will share a room with one other new mother, whereas at Landstuhl, a patient would share a room without a bathroom with up to four new mothers and their newborns. Women who stork nest in Ankara will spend the weeks prior to delivery in one of several select hotels in the capital city. The rooms include a bedroom, living room, bathroom and a kitchen area with a microwave, refrigerator and stove top. Also, patients will have the opportunity to shop at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service base exchange and commissary at the 425th Air Base Group base in Ankara. The base also includes a chapel and laundry facility. Transportation is available from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. "We have military personnel stationed in Ankara who do not come to Incirlik for pre-natal care. All of their pre- and post-natal care, including delivery, is done in Ankara. There is no stork nesting option for them," said Major Baykan. "That's really important to know. All Americans residing in Ankara are delivering there." A TRICARE employee resides in Ankara and acts as a liaison for Incirlik. This representative is available to attend medical appointments and act as a translator, if needed. Two other points that factor into a woman's decision where to stork nest are cost and leave for the fathers-to-be. Stork nesting patients have the option to take a one-hour flight or a six-hour drive to Ankara from Adana. The military will reimburse the medical patient for one round-trip whether it's by plane or automobile. The patient's lodging will be paid for and she will receive $25 a day for food. Food and travel costs for existing children and husbands are not reimbursable. Stork nesting in Ankara also allows the mother and baby to return to Incirlik in a more timely fashion because there are no passport or rotator scheduling constraints. After a mother delivers, she will be released from the hospital within 24 hours and must remain in the city for another five days in order to get the newborn's hearing tested. After the hearing test is passed, the mother and baby are permitted to return to Incirlik. In Germany, however, a mother may remain overseas for up to 10 days after delivering while she waits for an emergency passport and/or a departing Space A flight. An emergency passport and birth certificate, plus a VISA for entrance into Turkey can cost $170, and is not reimbursable. Once returning to Incirlik, the patient must then apply for another passport for their newborn and pay the additional costs. In most cases, expectant fathers who are active duty members won't use as much leave if their spouses are delivering in Ankara as travel dates to join the expectant mother won't be tied to the rotator schedule. Once the runway reopens, Landstuhl and Mesa hospitals will both remain stork nesting options. "We're hoping the positive experiences of Incirlik families in Ankara will encourage other new mothers to choose the Ankara option", explained Major Baykan. For a slideshow of Mesa Hospital, click here.