CalvertHealth is paving
the way – literally – for
meaningful advances
in care for women’s
health. With one major
renovation complete
and another on the way,
big changes are in the
works for providing
a coordinated,
convenient and
comprehensive
approach to meeting
the diverse range of
women’s healthcare
needs at every stage
of their lives.
This summer, the 15,000-square-foot
CalvertHealth Center for Women’s
Health opened on the main hospital
campus in Prince Frederick. According
to CalvertHealth Vice President of
Strategy and Business Development
Kasia Sweeney, the vision for
the women’s center is to provide a
supportive environment, which fosters
collaboration and communication between
CalvertHealth’s providers so that services
are offered seamlessly while focusing on
each woman’s distinct needs and goals.
At the same time, an ambitious
renovation of the Family Birth Center at
CalvertHealth Medical Center is moving
forward with construction expected to
begin early next year. The project will
renovate 15,000 square feet of existing
space and set a new standard for mothers
a nd newborns in our community.
New Women’s Center Elevates Patient Experience
As of July 1, all outpatient appointments
at CalvertHealth OB/GYN are held in the
spacious new women’s center instead
of spread out through multiple offices.
Now, there is a single check-in desk for all
patients, which can number 150-180 per day. A renovated waiting room has lots of
windows creating an open and airy space.
“With all the providers working
out of the same center, it’s much
easier for collaboration for better care.
It’s quicker to find another doctor
for a second opinion,” said boardcertified
obstetrician and gynecologist
Dr. Barbara Estes, who serves as
director for women’s health with the
CalvertHealth Medical Group.
The new center also includes more
rooms for inpatient procedures such as
biopsies. These additional procedure
rooms allow for pain management to be
offered for some procedures such as IUD
placements. Nitrous oxide is available
to help ease discomfort and anxiety for
these procedures.
The new women’s center is also
large enough to house future growth.
Additional exam rooms allow more
providers to see patients. The expanded
space makes it possible to offer access to
rotating specialists in areas such as fetal
maternal medicine. By providing these
specialists locally, CalvertHealth aims
to reduce the burden on patients and
ensure they receive the care they need
close to home.
Renovation Will Modernize Family Birth Center
The transformation of the patient experience extends to the inpatient
Family Birth Center. The nearly $10-million planned renovation will
bring significant updates – including modernization of 12 postpartum
rooms and labor rooms, designed to provide comfort and safety for
both mother and baby. The planned improvements were heavily
influenced by feedback received in focus groups.
The 18-month project will also feature enhanced breast-feeding
support and patient follow-up, ensuring new mothers receive the
guidance and care they need during this crucial time.
A key feature of the renovation is the addition of four Labor,
Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum (LDRP) rooms. These rooms allow
mothers to deliver, recover and learn to care for their new babies all in
one room, without having to move from a birthing room to a separate
postpartum room. This enhances comfort and convenience for both the
patient and her family.
These rooms include a mini fridge, comfortable sleep
arrangements for the support person and a smart TV. Even the
bathrooms are thoughtfully designed with postpartum moms in
mind with a cutout in the wall to hold the myriad of postpartum
supplies needed.
During construction, the current postpartum rooms will become
temporary delivery rooms and postpartum rooms will be moved
upstairs. Additionally, the new Birth Center will have one centralized
nursing station, which will aid in staffing and collaboration throughout
the whole center.
“The layout of the new nurses station will make it much easier for
nurses to see patient rooms on both the labor and postpartum sides of
the unit and coordinate care,” said Dr. Estes.
To further enhance care, additional physicians have recently been
hired so that one provider is dedicated exclusively to labor and delivery
during the day. This means patients with outpatient appointments
or procedures are far less likely to experience last-minute delays or
cancellations if their provider is needed in the Family Birth Center.
With this model, physicians now rotate call times and patient visits, so
expectant mothers become familiar with multiple doctors throughout
their pregnancy.