Mom celebrates life with firstborn, thanks to hospital’s new practice
Doctor introduces “Code White” to quickly call multi-disciplinary team to help mothers in post-partum crises
Everything was going well for Kathyrn Williams during the birth of her firstborn son, Connor. Then things went dreadfully wrong.
Heavy post-partum bleeding prompted her care team to rush her down the hall to a room where they could work to turn things around.
Just a month prior to Connor’s birth, the hospital — PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, Oregon — introduced use of a new Code White policy for just this type of critical situation.
When a Code White is called, professionals with expertise in numerous disciplines — from anesthesia, blood bank, lab, nursing, obstetricians, pastoral care and others — know a mother urgently needs their help.
It’s what made it possible for Kathryn to return to the life she expected with her husband, Kyle, and their precious little one. Jennifer Freeman, MD, of Women’s Care, is credited with helping PeaceHealth Sacred Heart to adopt the new life-saving code that has been activated 18 times (as of this post) since its launch.
“We’re hoping this becomes the standard of care in the community and in the region and in the country,” says Julie Haugen, MD, of Pacific Women’s Care, Kathyrn’s obstetrician.
>(Photos courtesy of Kathryn Williams.)
