![]() |
Neonatologist Dr. Elsie Mainali is the new medical director of the Intermediate Care Nursery at Fauquier Hospital. |
![]() |
Beverlyn
Silberbauer, RN, makes last-minute adjustments
to prepare for the nursery’s opening. |
During an open house last Wednesday at Fauquier Hospital’s FamilyBirthing Center, neonatologist Dr. Elsie Mainali smiled broadly as she patted
an infant resuscitator machine like a mother stroking a child. Dr. Mainali said that the hospital’s newly renovated
Level 2 Intermediate Care Nursery (ICN) is the best
equipped of any ICN in the area. “We are truly state-of-the-art.”
As of April 14, the new seven-bed unit (up from four beds)
will welcome newborns who need special care. The nursery has been closed since
November 2015, when construction began.
Beverlyn Silberbauer, ICN RN,
explained that the each of the tiny patient beds is equipped with a myriad of
monitoring equipment, a scale, and temperature and humidity controls. “The
temperature control keeps the infant’s body temperature stable, and the
humidity regulator protects the baby’s delicate skin.”
Stations are also
equipped with phototherapy lamps and special blankets that cover the small
When a child is born prematurely, he or she may have
respiratory issues, jaundice, or present other difficulties that require
special attention. The ICN can provide around-the-clock care for newborns that
are born after 32 weeks and are at least 3.3 pounds. Before Fauquier Health
opened the ICN in 2013, these babies were transferred to a neonatal intensive
care unit in Northern Virginia or at the University of Virginia.
The ICN also cares for babies born addicted to
opioids. Silberbauer said, “Sometimes it takes months for those babies to go
through the withdrawal process. Our job is to make sure the baby is healthy and
the mom has the support she needs to take care of her baby when they go home.”
Dr. Mainali agreed, “We see quite a number of these babies.”
The Intermediate Care Nursery was expanded to better meet
the needs of patients and their families, as well as to meet newer space
requirements for an intermediate nursery – set by the state
health commissioner, Virginia Department of Health. Historically, the
nursery has hosted an average of three babies, but the volume would sometimes
surge to five or six. The new space will more comfortably handle demand.
Of the 762 babies born in 2015 (before the ICN closed for
construction), 71 were cared for in the ICN. During construction, 15 newborns
that would have stayed in the ICN were transferred for higher level care.
In addition to enlarging the space, other highly specialized
equipment for at-risk babies has been added. The
security system has been updated and new isolates and radiant warmers have been
installed, as have wireless scanners for medication, a PACS system for
radiology services, mobile computers and respiratory equipment.
The construction cost $991,000;
equipment added another $480,000. (This equipment was purchased in 2013
as part of the original project opening, and was raised through a Mars family
gift of $382,000 and other fundraising efforts.)
The ICN will be staffed with two
neonatal intensive care unit registered nurses 24 hours a day. Respiratory
services, lactation experts, case management workers, an RN clinical
coordinator and another physician will support the effort. Dr. Mainali added,
“All nurses have Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification; most come
from higher-level care nurseries and have years of experience.”
Fauquier Health’s ICN also has a collaborative relationship
with neonatologists at the University of Virginia’s Neonatal Intensive Care
Nursery, to ensure local babies have the resources of a university-level
facility. Dr. Mainali explained, “We currently have telemedicine capabilities;
experts at UVA are able to receive data about a newborn in our nursery, examine
the baby remotely and work with our staff via video feed.”
The nursery features open visiting hours, and mothers are
encouraged to breastfeed their babies if they choose. Two private rooms can
accommodate newborns who need readmission after being
home. When babies are ready to be discharged, parents
are invited to stay overnight in a private room and work with nursing services to
understand how to care for their newborns.
Dr. Mainali said that Fauquier
Health Home Care Services is available to visit mom and baby at home, to assist
with any lingering issues. “We want to ensure that there is a smooth
transition.” CPR training for parents is available prior to discharge and
outpatient lactation services recently have been added.
Community pediatricians are
invited to visit with their patients in the ICN. All newborns that are admitted
to the ICN are under the care of Dr. Mainali, who said, “We view it as a
collaborative effort and understand that the community pediatricians are
guiding care after discharge. Having their engagement and ensuring we are
communicating effectively is a priority.”
Pediatrician
Dr. Joshua Jakum of Piedmont Pediatrics said, “I am thrilled that Dr. Elsie
Mainali is joining Fauquier Health. The academic knowledge she brings is
outstanding. We have already begun working on quality improvement initiatives
that have demonstrated promise for neonates as well as our general newborn
population.”
No comments:
Post a Comment