■ Healthcare
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care they need. Other steps that Hackensack
Meridian Health has taken to ensure high-quality,
safe care include designated entrances for
certain procedures and services; monitoring the
temperature of patients, visitors, team members
and physicians who enter facilities; rigorous
cleaning and sanitizing of all facilities; use
of ultra violet (UV) light cleaning and fogging
with a nationally recognized, third-party organization
overseeing efforts that also include the
testing of air, water and surfaces to make sure
they’re safe; testing all patients who stay at hospitals;
providing and requiring the wearing of
masks by patients, visitors, staff and physicians;
and ensuring staff and physicians have the appropriate
personal protective equipment.
Holy Name Medical Center
By Payal Shah, M.D.,
MBA, FACOG, Director of
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Even during the height of the
COVID‐19 pandemic, we welcomed
hundreds of healthy babies
within our BirthPlace. All our physicians,
nurses and staff wear full PPE, including masks,
face shields and gloves, to safeguard all. The
BirthPlace’s private birthing suites are rigorously
cleaned and disinfected in accordance
with public health guidelines. All of the unit’s
private birthing suites are located in a building
isolated and separate from where COVID‐19 patients
are treated. Moms-to-be are pre-registered
and tested for COVID‐19 at 37 weeks of pregnancy
for a vaginal birth and within 72 hours
of a planned C-section. Upon arrival at Holy
Name, the mother and one support person are
screened, masked, and tested for COVID‐19. If
negative, they are escorted to the BirthPlace.
There is a designated, isolated space for moms
who test positive. C-section surgical suites for
patients who test negative and for those who
test positive are also kept separate. The Birth‐
Place is always locked and accessible only to the
unit’s staff and physicians. As always, we provide
an atmosphere that helps moms-to-be feel
safe, confident and supported as they deliver
their babies.
RWJBarnabas Health
By Suzanne Spernal,
DNP, APN-BC, RNC-OB, CBC,
Vice President of Women’s
Services
At RWJBarnabas Health, we take
a comprehensive approach to
maternal health. While the pandemic created
an unprecedented challenge for us—keeping
families safe is always our top priority—several
initiatives enabled us to continue providing
high-quality maternity care. In addition to following
recommendations from the CDC in our
perinatal areas, including wearing appropriate
PPE and adhering to stringent infection prevention
protocols, we provided universal COVID‐19
testing to all women upon admission to labor
and delivery to guide care for both mom and
baby. Understanding the importance of having
a partner and advocate while giving birth,
we ensured all women could have a birth partner
by their side throughout their experience.
During the pandemic, increased isolation for
new and expecting moms prompted the implementation
of two virtual groups to support the
physical, social and emotional needs of women
transitioning from pregnant to parenting. Our
breastfeeding support group provides guidance
to mothers on their breastfeeding journey and
our perinatal mood and anxiety disorder support
group provides a safe and judgment-free
place to connect online. We also worked with
community partners to provide new moms with
kits to safely monitor for virus symptoms as well
as pregnancy-related complications from home.
Saint Peter’s
University Hospital
By Carlos Benito, M.D.,
Chair, OB/Gyn
At the onset of COVID‐19, Saint
Peter’s University Hospital committed
to ensuring at least one
support person could remain in the delivery
room while maintaining protocols that ensure
the health of mother and child. For outpatient
prenatal visits, patients complete a screening
and temperature assessment. Universal masking,
hand washing, social distancing and respiratory
etiquette are standard procedures.
Support persons are limited to one per patient
and are screened with a temperature check. Patients
who develop COVID‐19 symptoms or
have been exposed to anyone with a confirmed
diagnosis are asked to contact their provider
before any outpatient visit. Saint Peter’s is taking
great care to make sure mother and newborn
are appropriately screened for COVID‐19.
Upon arrival, expectant mothers are screened
for symptoms, including required temperature
checks. If patients screen negative, standard precautions
to reduce infection are put in place. Patients
who test positive or are suspected to have
COVID‐19 will be admitted but placed in special
units in order to reduce the risk of transmission
of COVID‐19 infection. Only one support person,
who is also screened, may accompany the
patient during delivery. Newborns of mothers
with positive or suspected COVID‐19 are tested.
Universal masking is required. We’ve taken
every precaution to ensure that the birthing experience
remains a joyous event.
Trinitas Regional Medical
Center
By Abu S. Alam, M.D.,
Department Chair of Obstetrics
and Gynecology
This is an unprecedented time in
healthcare, but that doesn’t necessarily
mean it’s a dangerous time to give birth.
Before the pandemic, viruses and germs existed
just the same; and safety and cleanliness have
always been at the top of our to-do list at Trinitas.
Upon admission, each patient is tested for
COVID‐19, which indicates how to proceed with
the mother to ensure a safe environment for her
and her baby. If a patient happens to test positive,
she will deliver her baby in an isolation room
among staff members wearing the appropriate
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