Columbia Memorial | Health Compass | Spring 2018

Another network of care provided for CMH patients is the Maternal-Child Care Program, which brings together the services of the Women’s Center and Pediatric Clinic. From pregnancy through birth and beyond, CMH offers an integrated program of care that boasts a quality not seen elsewhere in the region. That quality is illuminated in the differences at CMH. The CMH Women’s Center and the Pediatric Clinic are home to teams of board- certified physicians, nurse midwives and pediatric nurse practitioners. “It’s a great service in a small community,” says Diane Hutson, Clinic Manager. “We have very skilled doctors, nurse midwives and social workers.” Once a month, medical providers and caregivers from Pediatrics, Obstetrics and the Family Birthing Center meet to share information, discuss what is changing in their fields, determine best practices and examine how to put patients first. These monthly gatherings emphasize the teamwork needed to offer a program of whole-life care. OB Centering: Support program for moms-to-be This team is working to implement an innovative program called OB Centering. The idea behind this program is to foster a supportive environment for first-time moms whose babies are due around the same time. In the third trimester, the mothers- to-be would attend monthly checkups with private time for each mom and their provider and group time with other moms to ask questions and learn about prenatal care through discussions and activities. Topics of discussion could include anesthesia, labor and delivery, nutrition, breastfeeding, and infant care, among others. Although OB Centering is not in place yet, Hutson says they are building the foundation of the program and hope to test it with a group soon. “We’re in this mindset of trying to figure out how the services wrap around patients from the very beginning,” Hutson says. A social worker now meets with as many expecting mothers as possible to talk about services that might help them during their pregnancy, planning for life after the baby is born, postnatal depression and to complete ACE (adverse childhood event) screenings. Off to a great start In the hospital, every newborn is examined by a CMH pediatrician. This gives new parents the opportunity to ask questions and establish a connection with the pediatrician who may care for their child as he or she grows. In creating these networks of care, CMH aims to provide appropriate care throughout all stages of life. who serves as their go-to person for scheduling, questions or concerns. The nurse navigator will coordinate all of the services the patient will need. Jamee Meier, Medical Group Director, says the purpose of the comprehensive program is to determine a plan of care for each woman or man with a breast tissue lump and make getting appropriate care as easy as possible. Following the initial phone call from a patient or a doctor’s referral, the program aims to have the patient seen by a general surgeon within one business day. After meeting with the surgeon, a plan of care is decided. If it involves surgery, Ziebert says everything is coordinated through the CMH Surgery Clinic. All patients need to do is show up—and the rest is taken care of. This refined experience shows more compassion and care for the patient. “We realized we were place-centered, not patient-centered,” Ziebert says. “The patient would go to five different places the morning of surgery. Now they go to two, and they’re driven between them.” Oncology nurse navigator guides cancer treatment If a breast lump is found to be cancerous, the patient’s clinical nurse navigator will introduce the patient to their oncology nurse navigator, who helps coordinate cancer treatment. Ziebert and Meier emphasize that the Breast Health Program is based on the promise of “Medical excellence without the miles”—a team effort involving independent medical providers, CMH clinics and services, and the new CMH–OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative. Maternal-Child Care Program: Care from the very beginning FOR MOMS AND BABIES To learn more about this program and the CMH Women’s Center, 503-338-7595 or visit columbiamemorial.org/womens-center . + COLUMBIAMEMORIAL.ORG SPRING 2018 5