Saint Thomas Health recently rebranded all women’s services under the name Saint Thomas Women’s Care. The change includes a multi-million dollar remodel and renovation of Saint Thomas Women’s Care at Midtown to enhance the patient and family experience before, during and after childbirth. Around 7,000 babies are born each year at Saint Thomas Midtown.

“Given that Midtown is the hospital of choice for so many mothers, we wanted to continue to make sure mothers have the best experience possible,” said Jennifer Elliott, RN, vice president of Clinical Operations and CNO at Saint Thomas Midtown and Saint Thomas West. “The rebranding was perfect timing, and we just came together to call ourselves what we are. We take care of women for the entire course their lives.”

More Space for More Services

Obstetric unit enhancements will be competed in two phases. The first phase of the project – to be complete by year’s end - will focus on the high-risk patients, prenatal, guest waiting, and education centers and will include a 29,000-square-foot renovation. The wing will undergo significant upgrades including 22 labor and delivery rooms with renovated bathrooms and showers to provide enhanced accessibility for patients and comfortable sleeper sofas for guests staying overnight in patient rooms. Other improvements include an expanded guest and family waiting lounge with more seating, entertainment and a children’s activity area, plus new floors, lighting and wall coverings in neutral color schemes for a softer, more welcoming environment. The new design also will include ample resources for natural childbirth – something Elliott said more women are expecting from today’s medical centers.

“For obstetrics, we provide any experience a mom may want,” Elliott said. Midwives, doulas and water births are available for more natural deliveries, while a high-risk OB unit and surgical services are on site if needed. Nearby, the Perinatal Cardiac Clinic at Saint Thomas Heart cares for antepartum and intrapartum women at high risk for cardiovascular complications related to preexisting and/or current co-morbidities. Maternal-fetal medicine specialists and cardiologists work together to develop a systematic, streamlined patient care protocol that offers each patient a comprehensive, individualized treatment and long-term education plan.

Baby-Friendly Hospital

In 2016, Saint Thomas Midtown received international recognition as a ‘Baby-Friendly’ designated birth facility. Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. is the U.S. authority for the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Saint Thomas Midtown is the only hospital in Middle Tennessee and one of only two hospitals in the state to have received the designation as of April 2016.

BFHI encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Based on the ‘Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding,’ the award recognizes birth facilities that offer breast-feeding mothers the information, confidence, and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies. Currently there are only 331 active Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers in the United States. The coveted designation is given after a rigorous on-site survey is completed. The award is maintained by continuing to practice the Ten Steps as demonstrated by quality processes.

Also available is the Saint Thomas Breastfeeding Outreach Clinic, a free service offered to any nursing mother in the community. “It’s important that moms have all the education they need in how they feed their baby,” Elliott said. “There are so many options for moms to look at and determine what best fits their lifestyle, and what they want for their baby. As a facility, we’re educated in all aspects to make that decision and to honor that choice. We’ve invested in educating our staff so whatever mom chooses is really her choice.”

The second phase of the renovation project will begin summer 2016 and will include similar enhancements to the labor and delivery wing and obstetrics triage area.

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PHOTOS: Headshot of Jennifer Elliott. Possible illustration: a cute, happy little baby (awwwww). For the box, picture of the mobile mammography unit.

RELATED LINKS:

Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative