FLOWOOD—Just in time for the annual wave of babies born nine months after the holidays, River Oaks Hospital opened its new $45 million, 145,000-square-foot building addition in August.

 

Of the 50 new licensed beds, 15 beds enlarged the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), 13 are designated for obstetrics, and 22 are allocated for medical/surgical to be used primarily for orthopedic patients.

 

The Level III NICU, located on the second floor, is considerably larger than the previous space, noted River Oaks chief nursing officer Sherry Cook.

 

"The new space allows for private or semi-private patient rooms," she explained. "Instead of the traditional main nurses' station, we have several work stations for nurses, with everything nurses need to care for their patients located within close proximity to patients' rooms. The rooms are set up in a 'pod' fashion and are designed to facilitate work efficiency for the nurses and enhance patient care."

 

The new NICU also houses specialized equipment and developmental processes designed to provide care for extremely low birth weight babies, pointed out River Oaks CEO Dennis R. "Denny" Bruns. "The neonatologists on our medical staff, along with our NICU nurses and medical support staff, are very excited about the new unit's design as it is highly conducive to facilitating the care given to some of our smallest premature babies.

 

"Our NICU team of caregivers has a longstanding reputation for excellence in the care of neonates. However, the new unit gives us more room in which to provide this level of care and allows us to continue to improve our practices and procedures."

 

Bruns added that River Oaks participates in the Vermont Oxford Network, a nationwide quality initiative related to the care of neonates. "The new unit provides a great setting for the incorporation of many of the best practices we've learned through this program," he said.

 

The antepartum and postpartum rooms are located on the third floor near the newborn nursery. All rooms are equipped with private bathrooms, flat screen TVs, internet access, and pull-out beds.

 

The medical/surgical rooms used primarily for orthopedic patients are located on the fourth floor. Each inpatient room is equipped with a flat-screen television, a desk and wireless Internet connectivity. The rooms also feature larger-than-usual baths, a walk-in shower, and a higher toilet—all designed for orthopedic patients. Bruns said careful consideration was given to the views from patient rooms, with most rooms overlooking the rooftop garden, another design element focused on helping to promote a healing environment.

 

The addition also features another labor and delivery waiting area, and an extended stay family room in the NICU.

 

Hospital officials put expansion plans on the drawing board after trending community growth and following requests from River Oaks staff physicians for more space.

 

"We're very fortunate to have some of the area's most highly-regarded physician groups on our medical staff," said Bruns. "Many of the specialty physician practices who admit their patients to River Oaks Hospital – including obstetrics, neurosurgery and orthopedics – have grown themselves, adding new specialists to their practice. The population growth in our service area also increased demand for more beds at River Oaks Hospital."

 

Bruns noted that Rankin County has experienced tremendous growth since River Oaks opened in 1981. 

 

"The population of Rankin County has grown by 20 percent in the last seven years," he said. "The population is expected to grow an additional 7 percent in the next five years, bringing the population to 152,162. These are very exciting times to be a part of Rankin County."

 

River Oaks was one of the first major medical facilities located in Rankin County on Lakeland Drive, Bruns said.