SPOTLIGHT
Off to a Great Start
The Family Birthplace–Patewood offers moms-to-be a special delivery experience. Since last fall, women with low-risk pregnancies have been delivering at the new birth center in Patewood Memorial Hospital, conveniently located on a quiet campus in the heart of Greenville’s Eastside. Many of these women otherwise would have delivered at Greenville Memorial Hospital (GMH), the bustling downtown regional referral center of Greenville Health System (GHS). The Family Birthplace–Patewood offers a homelike environment. Large windows provide ample natural light, and each bathroom has a spacious shower with a bench, big sink with glass tile backsplash and mirror. Each labor and delivery room has a tub should a woman desire water therapy during labor. While well-designed rooms and a peaceful setting are valuable, the quality of care women receive has not been compromised. “We’re maintaining the same standard of care that we deliver at GMH,” said Mary Beck, MD, lead physician at GHS’ Piedmont OB/GYN practice. Even though Patewood doesn’t have a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), pediatric hospitalists with specialized training in neonatology and newborn care are in-house around the clock. “We do our best to predict when a mother is going to have risk associated with her delivery, but we can’t always be sure,” explained Rebecca Wright, MD, medical director of Newborn Services at Patewood. “Our hospitalists spend several intensive weeks at GMH learning newborn care specifically, spending time with the Bryan NICU delivery team, attending deliveries of infants at all risk levels. They’ll continue to rotate through with the NICU delivery team during their time at Patewood to keep up that skill set.” In addition, Patewood participates in Delivery Buddy, GHS Children’s Hospital’s telehealth program that brings the expertise of neonatal nurse practitioners into the labor and delivery suite via secure video when needed. This program helps the nurse quickly determine whether the baby needs to be transported to GMH. Patewood staff members prioritize keeping a calm environment for every mom, baby and family. “We limit interruptions, so moms can recover after giving birth,” Dr. Wright noted. “We bundle interactions in single visits, rather than interrupting for tests.” Future plans include concierge services to further individualize each woman’s birth experience. Patewood intends to offer special packages such as food delivery service for a special meal for mom and dad, or a spa-type package where the mom is pampered with fresh flowers, magazines and a plush keepsake robe. Also incorporated into each woman’s prenatal care will be parts of the birth plan that relate to the baby’s care, as these decisions often are not given much thought during the prenatal period.
The two GHS practices whose low-risk patients deliver at Patewood are Greenville Ob/Gyn Associates and Piedmont OB/GYN. Joining them is Highlands Center for Women.
“The facility is lovely,” Dr. Wright summarized. “It’s a peaceful campus, and the offerings present a good hybrid between the minimal intervention that families are moving toward, but also the safety and evidence-based care of a hospital.”
Inside Health 2
