How Baxter Health Women & Newborn Care Center promotes lifelong health for mothers and babies
Getting new mothers and their babies off to a healthy start is the goal of Baxter Health Women & Newborn Care Center. The department approaches the subject of health care in pregnant women beyond reproductive issues to address a much broader spectrum of health and well-being, including developing the type of healthy habits that benefit both mother and baby.
The renovated center, opened in December 2013, offers the latest technology focused on patient-centered care. The unit includes 10 state-of-the-art labor and delivery rooms, renovated postpartum rooms, two new triage examination rooms as well as a larger and completely renovated nursery, a new system of nurse call and a fetal monitoring system.
Amy Myers, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, worked for the Women & Newborn Care Center for 23 years as a nurse, patient and staff educator, and charge nurse before stepping into the role of director last year . She said the level of expertise and medical technology available to patients goes far beyond what is usually offered by hospitals of comparable size.
“Many small hospitals across the country have closed their maternity wards. We are here to serve the women of this region and provide services to families throughout our 12 country service area. We want to provide these services close to home, so women don’t have to travel as far to have their health care needs met.
With more than 700 deliveries per year, the center provides quality care throughout the year, thanks to the expertise of three delivery doctors — Dr. Harley Barrow, Dr. Maureen Flowers And Dr Ken Holt —and three pediatricians, including Dr. Michael Adkins, Dr. Samantha Shipman And Dr Shayna Bois.
“Our Level 2 nursery provides care for healthy newborns, as well as moderately ill babies with an expected rapid recovery. Critically ill newborns requiring multiple subspecialty care, who have a long recovery, or who are less than 34 weeks gestation are typically transferred to a Level 3 NICU in Little Rock or Springfield. If they last longer than 34 weeks, we can provide comprehensive care with treatments and procedures including respiratory care, fluid and nutritional support, as well as treatments for hyperbilirubinemia and infections. We provide high-quality, compassionate care locally, so our families do not have to travel long distances to obtain these services.
The center plays a key role in women’s health in an era of changing health care philosophies. Until recently, women’s health research focused primarily on a very narrow segment of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and reproductive issues, while largely ignoring other critical areas. As this thinking has changed, more attention is being paid to specific health issues that affect women, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis.
Additionally, women are taking more responsibility for their own health and health education and becoming active managers of their own well-being in partnership with their doctors. This increased awareness of disease prevention and healthy lifestyle choices has enabled women to live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.
The Baxter Health Women & Newborn Care Center reflects this more comprehensive service model to include more services affecting women’s health.
“We’re a very versatile unit,” Myers said. “We provide care to pregnant women, laboring and postpartum women, and newborns. We also provide gynecological care, but our real focus is maternity, labor and delivery, and then we take care of the mother and baby afterward.
The center also benefits from the support of several volunteers, like Donna Caruthers, a retired school secretary who crochets hats for all the newborns (see related story on page 21). Myers said little extra touches like this contribute to the center’s overall environment and its commitment to serving the whole person – mind, body and spirit.
“Donna, our Hat Lady, is just one of the people who give their time and energy to support our families,” Myers said. “Hats are essential for keeping newborns warm, and they’re adorable, too. The look new parents will have on their faces when they see this handmade hat they can take home is priceless. It’s truly a special feeling to know that a volunteer is putting so much love and effort into the family of a complete stranger.