Morton Plant and Mease Countryside Hospitals Expanding Services for Expectant Mothers

Morton Plant and Mease Countryside Hospitals Expanding Services for Expectant Mothers

CLEARWATER, Fla., (August 5, 2014) - Morton Plant and Mease Countryside hospitals continue their commitment to improving the health of all they serve by further enhancing their internationally recognized obstetrics units with a new program that provides board-certified, experienced obstetric doctors in the hospitals around the clock. The hospitals also have opened Obstetric Urgent Care for expectant mothers who are experiencing an emergency.

Located adjacent to the Labor and Delivery units, the OB Urgent Care units at Morton Plant Hospital and Mease Countryside Hospital will be available on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week for pregnant women who either do not have an obstetrician, whose doctor is unavailable or has chosen to partner with the hospitalists, or who need emergency care.

“With hospital-based doctors and its own dedicated unit, this program provides an extra level of care and can offer more expedited emergency care to pregnant women,” said Marcia Albanese, director of Women’s and Children’s Services for Morton Plant Mease Health Care.

Morton Plant and Mease Countryside’s OB/GYN Hospitalist Program provides around-the-clock access to board-certified physicians specifically trained in obstetrics and gynecology. Mease Countryside has offered the program since January, and Morton Plant began its program in June.

Through the program, physicians are always on site, ready to work with mothers in labor, whether the patient has a physician or to step in for standard and emergency procedures. The OB hospitalists will examine patients, evaluate and monitor the progress of labor, review lab results, handle emergencies and answer patients’ questions.

In addition to providing hospital-based obstetricians, Morton Plant and Mease Countryside now offer OB Urgent Care, which are located adjacent to the hospitals’ Labor and Delivery units. The new units will offer expedited treatment for pregnant women who are experiencing symptoms or conditions that may or may not be related to pregnancy. Women in need of these services go directly to OB Urgent Care.

Morton Plant Mease offers these new services through a partnership with OB Hospitalist Group, a leading provider of OB/GYN hospitalists.

The OB hospitalists program is just part of Morton Plant’s and Mease Countryside’s services and support for expectant mothers and their families including a family centered environment to allow mothers, fathers and infants to remain together as much as possible. The program includes board-certified physicians, birthing, and childcare and breastfeeding classes and support for expectant parents, as well as an online class for parents who prefer to learn on their own schedule.

Both Morton Plant and Mease Countryside are designated by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund as UNICEF "Baby-FriendlyTM" birth facilities. A Baby-Friendly facility promotes and supports breastfeeding by empowering mothers to give their infant the best possible start in life. Both hospitals have received the Care Award from the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) and the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA).

About Morton Plant Mease
Nationally recognized for health care excellence, Morton Plant Mease Health Care is dedicated to providing community owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. Morton Plant Mease Health Care is comprised of the following hospitals – Morton Plant, Clearwater; Mease Dunedin, Dunedin; Mease Countryside, Safety Harbor and Morton Plant North Bay, New Port Richey.

About BayCare Health System
BayCare Health System is a leading community-based health system in the Tampa Bay area. Composed of a network of 11 not-for-profit hospitals, outpatient facilities and services such as imaging, lab, behavioral health and home health care, BayCare provides expert medical care throughout a patient’s lifetime. With more than 200 access points conveniently located throughout Tampa Bay, BayCare connects patients to a complete range of preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for any health care need.

BayCare’s family of hospitals are: Mease Countryside, Mease Dunedin, Morton Plant, Morton Plant North Bay, St. Anthony’s, St. Joseph’s, St. Joseph’s Children’s, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, St. Joseph’s Women’s, South Florida Baptist, and Winter Haven. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.