Ashley County Medical Center Joins Arkansas Children’s Hospital Nursery Alliance

CROSSETT, Ark. (Monday, June 18, 2018) – Ashley County Medical Center (ACMC) announced today that it is joining Arkansas Child

Ashley County Medical Center joins a growing list of Arkansas Children’s Hospital Nursery Alliance hospital members including Conway Regional Health System, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, and CHI St. Vincent in Hot Springs.ren’s Hospital Nursery Alliance, which coordinates care between neonatologists at ACH’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and physicians in Ashley County Medical Center’s nursery to help further improve the quality of newborn care.

Ashley County Medical Center is the newest hospital member of the ACH Nursery Alliance, which was established in 2016 when Conway Regional Health System joined as the first hospital member. ACMC is the only Critical Access Hospital in the ACH Nursery Alliance.

“As a Critical Access Hospital, Ashley County Medical Center provides full services such as emergent care, primary care, labor and delivery and nursery services,” said Phillip Gilmore, CEO of Ashley County Medical Center. “When it comes to improving the care of the children born here, whether it’s caring for them here or ensuring the highest level of care for newborns, we always do what is best for our babies and families. Our relationship with the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Nursery Alliance can really benefit our patients and Ashley County Medical Center.”

Neonatologists at ACH will provide immediate consults to physicians at ACMC, educational support, quality data review, and implementation of best practices in collaboration with ACH for the purpose of improving neonatal care close to home and provide support as needed to help the babies at ACMC or at ACH get the best care possible. In addition, the alliance offers development of opportunities to track and monitor outcomes and participation in ongoing research. Formal processes for coordinated care prior to transport when higher level of care is needed will be instituted, plus post discharge follow-up by monitoring and measuring late morbidities through an expanded High Risk Newborn Clinic network.

“Arkansas Children’s is creating a statewide network of care in order to deliver the right care at the right time close to home for the children of this state,” said Marcy Doderer, president and CEO of Arkansas Children’s. “Today, we’re excited to welcome Ashley County Medical Center to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Nursery Alliance, the first nursery alliance in Arkansas that focuses specifically on neonatal care by partnering with local hospitals. Together, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Ashley County Medical Center will ensure Arkansas’ newborns get better today and can be healthier tomorrow.”

Arkansas Children’s Hospital operates the state’s only designated Level IV NICU (100 beds), the highest level of acute care, and has access to pediatric specialists from all disciplines.

Ashley County Medical Center’s Labor & Delivery/Nursery Department, led by three Board-certified OB/GYNs, manages two labor and delivery rooms, one labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum room, and three postpartum rooms. The Labor and Delivery/Nursery at ACMC also features a “locked unit” that focuses entirely on the critical first step in motherhood, and offers state-of-the-art obstetrical and neonatal services. The Critical Access Hospital staffs two full-time Board-certified pediatricians.

The neonatal period is specific to the first four weeks after birth (neonate or newborn), a time when changes happen rapidly. Many critical changes can occur in this period:  Feeding patterns are established; bonding between parents and infant begin; the risk of infections that may become more serious are higher; and many birth or congenital defects are first noted. This care is usually centered around newborn infants with a range of problems, varying between prematurity, birth defects, infection, cardiac malformations and surgical problems.