When it comes to Saint Francis Medical Center's Family BirthPlace, you might say, "We've come a long way baby!" When it opened its doors in 2001, Saint Francis had not delivered a baby in more than four decades. After just five years, the Medical Center annually welcomes hundreds of babies into the world. "Our first year we delivered 300 babies," says Jack Malizzi, director of Maternal and Child Health Services at the Family BirthPlace. "This year we are on track to deliver almost twice as many, 580 to 600."

Parents are choosing Saint Francis for the birth of their children for several reasons. "We offer family-centered comfortable surroundings to make the birthing experience more enjoyable for everyone," says Malizzi. "Parents who previously delivered elsewhere tell us they prefer the personalized care they get at Saint Francis." The eight new LDRP (labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum) suites and the spacious, homey surroundings also add to positive experiences for families.

The newly expanded Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is another reason parents choose Saint Francis. Treating more than 700 patients since its inception in 2001, the 25-bed Level III NICU (the first one established in the region) is staffed by board certified, fellowship-trained neonatologists and trained specialists to care for premature and critically ill newborns.

"The larger unit allows us to provide more family-centered developmental care," explains Lynne D. Willett, MD, FAAP, neonatologist on staff at Saint Francis. "We have recruited specialists in neonatal care to the Medical Center who can provide a full complement of services to our tiniest and most fragile patients. For example, our developmental team includes a neonatal physical therapist, feeding specialists and neonatal occupational therapist."

The Level III NICU monitors its outcomes by participating in an international network of more than 500 NICUs called the Vermont Oxford Network (VON). Saint Francis benchmarks itself against other NICUs in the network and has access to research and information to continually improve the care and treatment in the Level III NICU. As a result, the Saint Francis Level III NICU has decreased the average number of days babies spend in the NICU, reduced complication rates and improved survival rates.

From Weekly Health Page: Sept. 24, 2006