Arkansas hospitals team up on neonatal care

EL DORADO -- Arkansas Children's Hospital and the Medical Center of South Arkansas have announced an alliance.

The Medical Center of South Arkansas has become the newest member of Children's Hospital's nursery alliance, which will elevate neonatal care for the region's newborns.

The Medical Center is the fifth member of the Children's Hospital's nursery alliance. The alliance will allow neonatal patients to stay closer to home, without requiring the children to be transported to Little Rock, unless a baby's condition requires it.

"The alliance collaborates and reviews quality data, it grows and enhances care, institutes best practices in order to improve the quality of Arkansas nurseries and the health and safety of newborns in our state," said Marcy Doderer, president and chief executive officer of Children's Hospital.

Scott Street, the Medical Center's chief executive officer, said the alliance will benefit South Arkansas in two phases, with the first being additional training by Children's Hospital specialists for the Medical Center's El Dorado-based physicians.

Street said the second phase will be focused on establishing a neonatal intensive care unit.

Allison Stone, the Medical Center's women's center director, said the goal for this alliance is to keep more mothers and babies close to home and together, rather than in Little Rock.

The collaboration is designed to elevate neonatal care for the region's newborns and reduce infant mortality.

Families will also have access to post discharge follow-up systems.

The neonatal period is defined as the first four weeks after birth.

Metro on 11/11/2018

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