By Gifford Ob/Gyn and Midwifery
As the COVID-19 outbreak spreads throughout our community, we want you to know that the Gifford midwives and OBs have been working on creative solutions to help you safely through this time. We appreciate your concerns about exposure during your care and balancing that with needed pregnancy and birth care. As you are aware, the situation changes daily and sometimes even faster than that. One of the advantages of being a small and close-knit group is that we can adapt quickly. Contingency plans are being developed for both staffing and logistics.
- In accordance with hospital policy, everyone will be screened for respiratory symptoms when they arrive and any ill patients will be provided a mask and evaluated away from the OB clinic site. Please, call first with any respiratory symptoms and we will help you get evaluated safely.
- Hospital visiting policy has changed to comply with Department of Health recommendations. Please choose only one designated support person to be with you during your stay. Children cannot be allowed in the Birthing Center. Also, please do not bring children with you to office visits if at all possible. (If you are pregnant and must bring your child, we will not turn you away.) If you are sick, PLEASE call before you come.When you are in labor, or need to come to the Birthing Center, please call ahead to 802-728-2257. You will be directed to the regular Birthing Center entrance on the south side of the hospital. The inside door is locked and you will need to push the call button to be let in. When you get to the unit doors, dial in and the nurse will come out and screen you and your support person over the phone. If your support person is ill or potentially exposed to COVID-19, they cannot be allowed in the hospital. All nurses and providers are now required to wear masks at all times. We hope you will notice that we are being super careful about handwashing to protect both you and us.In order to comply with state and federal directives, women in labor may bring one support person with them. This person will be the only person allowed on the unit — they cannot swap with someone else. At this time, in order to comply with directives, people who leave the unit cannot be allowed back in. Currently this includes going outside to smoke. Visitors are not allowed in common public areas.
We realize this causes some significant hardship when you may be here for days. We hear you and are trying to find some creative ways to help make it easier and at the same time comply with regulations. Regular meals will still be available but we realize that babies don’t comply with regular schedules. So, please bring snacks, changes of clothing, personal items, etc., for your comfort during your stay. Please make all needed arrangements for pets and other children. If you or your partner will be needing nicotine replacement, please let us know beforehand so we can try to help arrange an acceptable alternative.
- For those of you who are due in the next several weeks: In order to help you minimize your time away from home, we strongly discourage elective inductions at this time and encourage you to spend early labor at home. When the main hospital begins to see ill COVID-19 patients, planning is in place to keep healthy pregnant women separate from the main hospital. We are actively working with the hospital, pediatricians and community providers to provide safe and compassionate care for our patients.
- At this time, we will be adjusting the prenatal visit schedule to alternate needed in-person visits with telephone visits for women with low-risk pregnancies. This model has been tested with good outcomes and it will not compromise your care.
- For women who need to establish care for a new pregnancy, an ultrasound in the first trimester has been shown to greatly reduce unneeded and potentially harmful interventions later in the pregnancy, so we strongly encourage women to make contact for that visit. Most of the first visit will be done over the phone, however, to minimize exposure time.
- For women (pregnant and non-pregnant) with acute health concerns, we will continue to see you in the clinic. Timely care can prevent complications down the road and this is an important part of keeping everyone healthy. As time progresses we also will switch to doing as much evaluation as possible in the clinic rather than the Birthing Center to keep you as safe as possible. Non-urgent care should be postponed or handled in a telephone visit if possible.
Evidence-Based Birth has provided excellent up-to-date information about COVID-19 specifically for pregnant women. You can access that information from this link.
#
For more information about coronavirus, visit giffordhealthcare.org/coronavirus-covid-19, cdc.gov or healthvermont.gov. Additionally, you may call 2-1-1 with questions.
###
Gifford is a community hospital in Randolph, Vt., with family health centers in Berlin, Bethel, Chelsea, Randolph, Rochester, and White River Junction; and specialty services throughout central Vermont. A Federally Qualified Health Center and a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital in the country, Gifford is a full-service hospital with a 24-hour emergency department and inpatient unit; many surgical services; a day care; two adult day programs; and the 30-bed Menig Nursing Home, which was named by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best 39 nursing homes in the country in 2012. The Birthing Center, established in 1977, was the first in Vermont to offer an alternative to traditional hospital-based deliveries, and continues to be a leader in midwifery and family-centered care. The hospital’s mission is to improve individuals’ and community health by providing and assuring access to affordable, high-quality health care in Gifford’s service area.
