Assist From 911 Dispatch to Deliver a Baby

A Suffolk County Emergency Services Dispatcher, answering a 9-1-1 call on June 29, 2016, assisted a local couple with delivery of their baby – after the couple realized they wouldn’t get to the hospital in time and parked in the lot of a local Starbucks.

The couple was driving to the hospital on County Route 111 in Manorville, shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29, 2016 while the mother was experiencing labor. They pulled over and called 911 when they realized they did not have enough time to make it to the hospital.

Suffolk County Emergency Services Dispatcher Marlo Van Houten, of Bellport, a 10-year employee of the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, received the call at 9:39 p.m.  The caller stated that the car had pulled over into the parking lot of the Starbucks on County Route 111, and ESD Van Houten instructed the father on how to assist his wife in delivery, to make sure the baby was breathing, how to tie off the umbilical cord, and to keep the baby warm.

“Once again, our emergency services personnel were able to quickly come to the aid of a family in need,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. “I commend Dispatcher Van Houten for her calm and professional approach to ensuring the safety and well-being of this family.”

A crew from Manorville Community Ambulance, as well as Suffolk County Police Department personnel, arrived on the scene by 9:44 p.m. and assisted in-person following delivery. Mother and baby were transported to St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson.