Helene Fuld Medical Center: New maternity suite delivered

Mercer Business, Jul 01, 1996

Public relations assistant, Shannon Nelson, smiled as she checked every detail for the grand opening of Helene Fuld's new maternity unit. It was hard to imagine that 24 years ago to the day she made her grand entrance into the world in the very same hospital.

Down the hall, Helen Ames was also making her final preparations but from a different perspective. Helen was part of the nursing staff when Shannon was born nearly a quarter of a century ago. Both women were ready to introduce hundreds of new families to Fuld Family Center for Birth -- things seem to go full circle.

But what remains constant is the superior care that results from the combination of state-of-the-art technology and the compassionate and experienced staff. What makes Helene Fuld different is the belief that the true miracle that takes place in the new unit is the birth of a family.

"Whether its the first or tenth child, a new family is born with every delivery and we designed our maternity suite around the entire family including fathers, brothers, sisters, and grandparents," said Ira G. Shimp, chief executive officer. "When we talked about names for the unit the most important concept we wanted the name to reflect was that the birth experience is a family event and not only do we promote that, we participate in it. The nursing and medical staff embrace our new families and together, assist in a miracle," Shimp added.

The Fuld Family Center for Birth is the industry standard -- the LDRP. Where once women would labor and deliver in one room and then be moved for the duration of their hospital stay, now all three stages take place in one room. And what a room it is] At first glance, patients may confuse the rooms with those you find in a premium hotel. But, with the opening of a headboard and a look behind a painting, you realize that there is a lot of serious technology waiting for the right moment, and then disappears once again after the big event.

Draped in peach, mint green, and sky blue, the unit is comprised of 10 LDRP suites, eight of which include jacuzzi tubs. But there is much more to the unit than a pretty face. The clinical amenities are appropriate as Fuld is the only hospital in the county to be designated a community perinatal-intensive by the Department of Health. This ranking, the second highest of five, provides that Fuld is equipped and staffed to handle high risk births. Operating rooms, dedicated to C-section births, are located on the unit. In-house anesthesiologists, round the clock, and board certified and board eligible neonatologists give the hospital the clinical superiority every baby deserves.

"In the health care industry, nothing can replace the importance of experience. When you have had thousands of births in your institution, your expertise will enable you to give each and every patient very personalized care," said Dr. Scott Evan Eder, chief of obstetrics at Fuld. "You truly know what expectant parents need and want -- and you're ready to provide for every situation," he added.

What parents need and want is only part of the Fuld birth experience. The Childbirth and Parent Education Program teaches them what to expect and how to handle the changes a bundle of joy will pose. Preconceptions courses, sibling and grandparent tours, breastfeeding and new father's morning are just part of the curriculum. Prenatal care is critical to the health of the baby, so much so that Fuld is offering free Lamaze courses to couples who give birth in the new center.

Couples have the luxury of time when considering birth options, but emergency situations arise leaving no choices for the individuals involved. In fact, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians, traumatic injuries are now the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 1 and 44. For that reason, Helene Fuld's leadership in emergency care has evolved to the next level -- providing care for traumatic injuries.

Dedicated operating rooms and emergency stations, a premier neurosurgical team, and on-site trauma surgeons enable Helene Fuld to care for the most serious injuries. Fuld has already proven its leadership in emergency and prehospital care with its selection by the County of Mercer as "911" dispatch for fire and medical communication for the entire county.

Helene Fuld is also the home of the Mercer County's Mobile Intensive Care Units. These "emergency rooms on wheels" provide advanced life support throughout Mercer County.

But sometimes the most devastating injuries are the ones you can't see. "The mind as well as the body needs to be healthy and in today's challenging and stressful times, mental health should not be taken for granted," said Alan Tipermas, director of psychiatry at Fuld. As home of the County's psychiatric screening center and Youth Emergency Services (YES), it was natural that Fuld establish the area's first partial hospitalization program. The purpose of the program, named Milestones, is to provide short term, intensive programming, while reducing psychiatric symptoms and promote independent functioning. It allows for the individual to remain in the community while accessing needed treatment.