St. Joseph’s Health Introduces New Pre-Natal Services and Equipment
May 20, 2019Syracuse, NY (May 20, 2019) – St. Joseph's Health is making big investments to protect and improve the health of mothers and babies. The hospital is now home to a Maternal-Fetal Medicine program, staffed by physicians from Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
“We are very excited to join the outstanding group of women's health care providers at St. Joseph's Health Hospital,” said Dr. Neil Seligman, Assistant Professor, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital. “After many successful years serving the community at our location in Associate's for Women's Medicine (AWM), we have moved to St. Joseph's to expand Maternal-Fetal Medicine services to patients in Onondaga and the surrounding counties.”
The Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists were seeing patients twice per month at the AWM office on James Street, Syracuse. Now, they are seeing patients weekly at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital for ultrasounds and consultations. The physicians are also co-managing high risk patients with their primary prenatal care provider.
“The increasing number of pregnant women with chronic medical conditions is a challenge for many women's health care providers and often requires transfer to a maternal-fetal medicine specialist,” said Seligman. “Fetal complications like birth defects or poor growth, for example, can also be a barrier to continuing to provide prenatal care. Our goal is to facilitate safe prenatal care by the patient's own obstetrician, midwife or family practice.”
During high-risk pregnancies, extra monitoring is required. St. Joseph’s has purchased two new fetal non-stress test monitors with a $17,600 grant from the Flora Bernice Smith Foundation. The monitors are helping physicians detect, as early as possible, any potential complications that might be faced by the unborn baby.
A fetal non-tress test allows physicians to monitor fetal heart rate and the baby’s movement without putting the baby in distress. This test is usually used when the mother presents a high risk condition such as hypertension, diabetes, thyroid conditions, bariatric patients and twins. The test allows St. Joseph's Health to preemptively identify potential issues before they arise.
“This test can also be used diagnostically if the mother notes a change in fetal movement or if the patient is beyond her due date,” said Denise Dann, RN-CNML, MS, PNP, director of Primary Care Administration at St. Joseph's Health. “If the monitoring is noted as non-reactive, the patient can be sent to Labor and Delivery for continued monitoring in a hospital setting.”
The fetal non-stress test monitors are being used at Family Medicine Main and Primary Care West.
“St. Joseph's Health has a history of delivering quality care in a caring environment for the mother, baby and family,” said Dann. “This new equipment will not only enhance obstetric care at St. Joseph’s Health but it will also help reduce instances of infant mortality and support our health care providers as they identify potential medical conditions that might affect the baby’s delivery and long-term health.”
St. Joseph’s Women and Children’s Services focuses on the physical, social and emotional well-being of mothers, infants and their families. As the only Central New York hospital designated a Baby-Friendly Hospital, St. Joseph’s supports personal birth choices and provides an environment where bonding with baby is facilitated. In 2017, St. Joseph’s clinicians delivered 2,031 babies.
About St. Joseph’s Health
St. Joseph’s Health is a regional non-profit health care system based in Syracuse, NY. St. Joseph’s has been an innovative leader in health care since our founding in 1869 as the first hospital open to the public in the city of Syracuse. Offering primary, specialty and home care, a Magnet-recognized hospital, and collaboration with community partners, St. Joseph's Health advances the well-being of the communities we serve through an expanding range of services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. St. Joseph’s is ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, a designated Stroke Center and a U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital.” St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians, and is a member of Trinity Health. St. Joseph’s Health is celebrating our 150th Anniversary throughout 2019. For more information on our founding Sisters of St. Francis including Saint Marianne Cope, our legacy and our innovations, visit www.sjhsyr.org/legacy.