State Recognizes South Nassau for Providing Safe, Quality Care for Mother, Child

South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Center for New Beginnings has been named a recipient of the New York State Department of Health’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative (NYSPQC) Obstetrical Improvement 2013 Quality Improvement Award. NYSPQC aims to provide the best and safest care for women and infants in New York State by preventing and minimizing harm through the use of evidence-based practice interventions.

The project’s main goal is to reduce early deliveries without medical indication between 36 and 39 weeks gestation. Research shows that babies born full-term (from 39 up to 41 weeks) have better outcomes than those born pre-term (before 37 weeks) or early-term (from 37 up to 39 weeks). Some early deliveries (before 39 weeks gestation) are unavoidable for medical reasons. However, some scheduled early deliveries—by induction or Caesarean section (C-section)—may not be medically necessary and could be postponed until the baby is full-term. South Nassau had zero early elective deliveries in 2013.

“This award is emblematic of our belief that at South Nassau Communities Hospital nursing is about great practice and great care,” said Sue Penque, PhD, RN, CNP, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Patient Care Services at South Nassau. “Our singular commitment to this belief ensures that our patients receive quality, compassionate care they deserve, whether they are mothers and newborns in the Center for New Beginnings or grandfathers receiving a dialysis treatment at our outpatient dialysis center.”

“The nurses and obstetricians work together as one team to ensure that the mothers and babies receive the attention and compassionate, high-quality patient-centered care they deserve and expect us to provide,” added Alan Garely, MD, chair of obstetrics and gynecology.

The NYSPQC Obstetrical Improvement Quality Improvement honor joins a multitude of others South Nassau has earned for outstanding quality in 2014, including: Joint Commission Top Performer on Key Quality Measures®; Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award; American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet® recognition; Joint Commission Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers; Joint Commission Disease-specific Certification in End-stage Renal Disease; Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) Gold Medal award and HomeCare Elite™, listing South Nassau’s Home Care as one of the top home health care providers in the United States (for the ninth consecutive year); and an “A” grade in hospital patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, the gold standard for comparing hospitals’ performance on the national standards of safety, quality, and efficiency that are most relevant to consumers and purchasers of care.

South Nassau’s Center for New Beginnings has a “five star” rating for patient safety and quality care by an independent national hospital and healthcare ratings organization. The rating is based on an in-depth evaluation of the quality of maternity and gynecological care, over a three year period, in the 19 states, which includes New York, where hospital patient outcomes data is publically available.

Last year, the Center’s team of compassionate, experienced maternity nurses, obstetricians and high-risk pregnancy specialists delivered 1,958 babies. In addition to advanced maternal-fetal medical technologies, the Center features 26 private family/newborn rooms with first-class hotel like accommodations, spacious labor and delivery rooms, and a 6-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Premature deliveries and newborns with developmental complications or conditions receive the specialized care they need in the neonatal intensive care unit. Staffed by board-certified neonatologists, the unit is equipped with dedicated medical technologies for premature newborns and newborns with special needs. For mothers needing a C-section delivery, the Center has a dedicated state-of-the-art surgical suite to ensure that they experience a model of family-centered care.

The center has been designed specifically for the family. Parents experience the entire birth process in the comfort of the unit’s private labor and delivery suites and continue to learn about and bond with their precious newborns in their spacious and private postpartum rooms. Central to our Family-Centered philosophy is our 24-hour visitation policy, allowing members of the family to celebrate and participate in this special event.

The accommodations and compassionate care are complemented by breakfasts, lunches and dinners prepared by an award-winning culinary services department and a comprehensive parent-child education program, which helps parents prepare for pregnancy, childbirth and beyond.

The Lactation Resource Center, staffed with a team of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants to assist and support the breastfeeding family, is an integral component of our comprehensive program which also includes:

• Maternity Orientation and Tour
• Prepared Childbirth Class
• Preparation for Breastfeeding Class
• Breastfeeding and Working Class
• Baby Care Class
• Breastfeeding Support Group
• Prenatal Yoga
• Mommy-Baby Yoga
• Infant/Child CPR
• Sibling Class
• Teddy Bear Clinic
• Safe Sitter® Class

For more information about our Center for New Beginnings, call the Department of Parent-Child Education at (516) 377-5310. Comments or questions regarding this column can be sent to healthmatters@snch.org.