What we are doing to keep mother and baby safe at the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Childbirth Center

| News | COVID-19

Close-up of adult hand holding a sleeping newborn baby's hand

- Updated Oct. 20, 2021: Our number one goal is to keep you, your newborn baby and family members safe and provide you with the best experience possible. When you are in the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Childbirth Center, you are family. The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed the world around us. It’s disrupted our way of life and rapidly created new realities for each of us. It’s understandable to find it all unsettling and concerning. We want to assure you that we are working purposefully to promote the health and safety of you, our providers, patients and community during this difficult time.

  • The caregivers at the Childbirth Center (CBC) understand that you may be concerned about COVID19 and its possible impact on the hospital and your upcoming birthing experience.
  • We recognize that pregnant women and newborns may be at a higher risk for contracting the virus, and we understand your fears.
  • We would like to ensure you that we are taking every step to keep you, your family and your newborn safe.
    • First, we are closely following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington State Department of Health and PeaceHealth guidelines.
    • These governing bodies provide specific safety recommendations, and we adopt to them as they are communicated to us.
    • Please know that every precaution is being taken to keep our patients and staff safe.

Here are some of those precautions we’ve taken:

  • We have a separate entrance from the rest of the hospital.
  • We require masking of everyone who enters the Childbirth Center, including nurses, providers, patients and support people. 
  • We test every patient for COVID-19 using a rapid one-step test.
  • We have limited visitation to 1 primary support person to minimize the opportunity for exposure by having too many people in the building.
  • We offer the primary support person three meals a day to limit the need to go in/out of the hospital.
  • We screen ALL caregivers, visitors and patients for any sign of illness.
  • We are committed to evolve our practices as the knowledge around COVID-19 evolves so that your safety is ensured.

Again, we want to emphasize that nothing is more important than creating a safe environment for our patients.

What do we need from your primary support person?

  1. Daily health checks: We will ask you daily if you are experiencing any new COVID-like symptoms and will complete a quick temperature check.
    1. If you have COVID symptoms, we know you do not want to miss the birth of the baby but please consider choosing another person to support your loved ones.
    2. Please remember your newborn is at a higher risk to any viruses. We want to ensure we keep all of you safe.
    3. We will ask you to wear a mask while in the Childbirth Center; this includes while you are in the patient room.
  2. Limit the need to go in and out of the hospital.

Thank you for trusting us with your care during this momentous life event.

With care,
Your CBC Family

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