JACKSON—Mississippi Baptist Medical Center has launched the Maternal Transport Program to provide quality inpatient care to high-risk mothers and their newborns throughout the state. The program allows mothers with perinatal complications or those at risk for premature delivery to be transferred to Baptist for a higher level of care. It’s accessible with one step—a single call to a dedicated line—for outlying physicians to initiate a referral.

 

“In utero transport of babies at risk for premature delivery to high-risk facilities has been shown to significantly improve the overall perinatal outcome for deliveries occurring preterm, particularly when the gestation is less than 34 weeks,” said Michael Livingston, MD, director of the Maternal Transport Program, and a board-certified OB/GYN. “After delivery, our goal is to return the patient to her referring physician for further services.”

 

With the only Level III nursery at a private hospital in Mississippi, Baptist has been a leader in providing the latest in developmental and family-centered care.  

 

“Should the baby deliver early, it’s best that the mother has been transported. This allows the baby to be taken directly to the NICU, where care can begin immediately, improving chances for survival and quality of outcome,” said Kenny Robbins, MD, neonatologist and medical director of the NICU at Baptist. “The NICU staff at Baptist has long enjoyed a reputation of providing excellent care to sick newborns, especially extremely low birth weight infants.”

 

In recognition of this, Baptist was awarded an affiliation with the March of Dimes, which provides added support in providing the best in family-centered care. Baptist boasts the only March of Dimes NICU Family Support Specialist in Mississippi.

 

In addition to perinatologists—board-certified specialists in maternal fetal medicine—

 

the multidisciplinary care team at Baptist includes board-certified obstetricians, neonatologists, clinical psychologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, specially trained registered nurses, dedicated respiratory therapists, pharmacists, lactation consultants, case managers and social workers.

 

“For more than 30 years, Baptist neonatologists have provided care of sick newborns,” said Robbins. “During this time, the NICU and its patients have enjoyed significant advances in various areas of care, especially resulting in great improvements in survival and quality of outcome. Our neonatologists are involved in national efforts to improve care, especially in extremely low birth weight infants. One of the great advances in recent years has been the evolution of the neonatal nurse practitioner, who works closely with both neonatologists and bedside nurses to improve the clinical care of babies. NNPs have become an indispensable adjunct in neonatal intensive care.”  

 

Perinatologist Robert W. Naef III, MD, provides expert services including highly detailed ultrasound evaluation. “I use specialized equipment,” he said, “that’s capable of even showing the fingernails on the baby.”

 

Respiratory therapists also play a unique role in the NICU, with “the opportunity to function in a cohesive manner with the nursing staff, conducting respiratory assessment, providing physiologic monitoring and employing ventilator support,” said Scott A. Lofland, director of respiratory care services. “Our team of highly motivated practitioners attends all deliveries of premature and high-risk infants, utilizing state-of-the-art technology and advanced training that offers the latest in data-driven information, promoting the finest respiratory care possible.”

 

Therapy is concentrated, Lofland explained, on providing Baptist babies with individualized care involving oxygenation, ventilation, and chest physiotherapy modalities to enhance proper growth and development, under the guidance of the neonatologists.

 

Terri Meadows, RN, director of women's services at Baptist, said the staff is keenly attuned to the importance of facilitating and maintaining patient comfort.

 

“We know their physical surroundings can go a long way to help them relax and stay focused on their health and the health of their baby,” she said, pointing out that suites feature hardwood floors, flat-screen TVs, under-counter refrigerators, and other upscale furnishings.

 

Baptist also provides patients with in-room education classes on infant care, breastfeeding, childbirth (4-class series), and infant CPR. After the patient leaves Baptist, she has access to more than 160 topics online via podcasts and vodcasts, a toll-free Baby Care Line, a newborn outpatient clinic and a developmental care clinic. 

 

Baptist is a member of the Vermont Oxford Network, an international collaborative of nearly 700 hospitals worldwide, whose mission is to improve the quality and safety of medical care for newborn infants and their families. Through this membership, Baptist’s staff stays updated with the newest information related to evidence-based practices for newborns, including Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) infants.