Vim & Vigor - Winter 2017 - Community Healthcare - 55

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"Pregnancy and childbirth are not
predictable. ... The laborist is here to manage
emergent obstetrical situations until a primary
care obstetrician arrives. For expectant parents,
laborists provide peace of mind."
-Teresa Meece, RN
our laborists serve as an additional
safety net to make sure mothers get
prompt, excellent care."
This model of care enhances patient
safety and leads to better outcomes
for both mother and baby, according to
the American Congress of Obstetricians
and Gynecologists.
"We decided to move forward with
the laborist program because we felt that
it was key to providing all the elements
required for the most comprehensive
mother-baby care," says Aruna Uppuluri,
MD, medical director of the laborist program at Community Hospital.
Benefits of having laborists at the hospital include:
* The laborist ensures that a boardcertified skilled obstetrician is in the
hospital at all times to attend to immediate concerns and helps streamline
care between all members of the labor
and delivery team.
* The laborist is prepared to help
with any emergencies concerning the
mother (hemorrhaging or seizures)
after delivery and provides additional
specialized support in addition to the
capable nursing presence.
* Since the laborists' "office" is the
hospital, they are familiar with the hospital's policies, activities, education,
outreach coordination and shared
resources. For example, they can fortify
efforts by the hospital to help reduce
infant mortality rates.

* Because

laborists are in the hospital around the clock, they are able
to maintain communication among all
team members across shifts, track test
results and order necessary follow-up
tests promptly.
Community Hospital's first obstetrics
unit opened in 1979, with its neonatal
intensive care unit opening three years
later. In 2014, the hospital expanded and
opened a $34 million project, Parkview
Tower, which includes three floors dedicated to moms, babies and families.
What makes Community Hospital's
Family Birthing Center care extraordinary is the complete spectrum of acute
Laborists Cherise Cokley, MD, and John
Taylor, MD, discuss patient care with staff at
Community Hospital's Family Birthing Center.

care available to mothers and babies,
explains Carla Meyer, director, Patient
Care Services.
"Our surgical and anesthesia teams
are in-house 24/7. We offer a critical
care transport to and from our hospital,
which is enhanced by our maternal-fetal
medicine partnership with the University
of Chicago Medicine. Now we have
laborists to enhance the management of
expectant moms' care, too."
"Pregnancy and childbirth are not
predictable," Meece says. "There are a
lot of unknowns. The laborist is here to
manage emergent obstetrical situations
until a primary care obstetrician arrives.
For expectant parents, laborists provide
peace of mind." ■
WEBSITE

We're Here
to Help
For more information about
the Family Birthing Center
and labor and delivery care at
Community Hospital in Munster,
visit comhs.org.

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http://www.comhs.org
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