New life and hope during COVID-19: HCA Healthcare’s commitment to mothers and babies

Each year, hundreds of thousands of expectant mothers place their trust in HCA Healthcare to bring their babies into the world. For decades, we’ve worked to ensure that we’re providing the safest possible environment for both mothers and babies. We’ve invested in research to identify, standardize and scale best practices that have reduced our maternal mortality rate to less than half the national rate. And, during COVID-19, our commitment to care like no other for mothers and babies is no different.

We have dedicated staff working hard to ensure YOU – our expectant mothers – have a healthy and positive pregnancy and birth. Every birth is unique and we will continue to ensure a safe environment for one of the most important moments in a mother’s life.

While much is still being learned about COVID-19, the health of our pregnant patients is and has always been a top priority. HCA Healthcare’s dedicated teams of expert nurses, physicians and midwives are committed to providing the safest and most effective care.

Policies to protect you.

At this time, our policy allows a named visitor to be present for your birth, provided that they meet the hospital’s health screening requirements. However, it’s important that you stay in close contact with your OB, or contact the facility where you’re delivering, as these policies may change due to unforeseen circumstances.

Before you arrive at the hospital, we want to make you aware of a few additional precautionary steps we are taking. We have a number of screening questions in place for all patients and visitors before entering the building. Again, this is precautionary and helps maintain the safety of all involved, while limiting the spread of any potential infectious illnesses.

Dedicated to your safety.

Our colleagues are dedicated to keeping you safe. All of our care givers have been trained on hand hygiene and other infection control measures.

To protect yourself and our colleagues, it’s imperative that you follow the latest government advice about social distancing; stay away from public places and avoid anyone who has symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. Please continue to refer to the current guidance on infection prevention for yourself and your household; direction from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in regard to pregnancy and breastfeeding can be found here.

We ask patients and their named visitor to be particularly vigilant with respect to social distancing in the 14 days prior to admission.  No children or additional visitors will be permitted.

Any mother with a confirmed COVID-19 case or who is experiencing symptoms will be supported in taking all possible precautions to avoid spreading the virus to her infant. Whether and how to start or continue breastfeeding will be determined by the mother in coordination with her healthcare providers.

For those who have or are suspected to have COVID-19, we have created policies and procedures to help ensure that those who have remained unaffected are kept safe and well.

Rest assured that we have robust procedures in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 within our hospital and in the community. To reduce unnecessary traffic to the hospital, all parent education classes and tours have been cancelled for the foreseeable future; where possible we have introduced virtual tours and classes.

What to do when you go into labor.

If you think your labor has started, or if you need to go to the hospital due to an emergency or concern about the baby, know that we will be here to support you.

Our priority is providing you with safe and effective care, and we are committed to partnering with you in our efforts to care for you and your baby during this time.

We know this experience may not be what you anticipated. However, we will continue to go above and beyond to help you get the most out of this experience while adhering to the guidelines set in place to keep you and your baby safe and healthy.

Author:

Amy Casseri

Vice President, Women’s and Children’s Services