MDNews - Greater Boston

Hospital spotligHt The Good samaritan Medical Center Special Care Nursery By Chris Cheney F or SoMe oF the most fragile babies born in Massachusetts, special care nurseries provide an essential bridge between the hospital and the home. Parents from Brockton and surrounding communities, such as Easton, Stoughton and Bridgewater, are fortunate to have Boston Children's Hospital's neonatologists — the only U.S. News and World Reportranked neonatologists in New England — caring for infants in their community. "We are dealing with a vulnerable group of newborns," says Shah Hossain, M.D., Chief of Neonatology at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton and Assistant in Medicine, Division of Newborn Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital. "Our focus is on making a difference by helping not only these infants but also families, so they have good starts to their lives together." Special care nurseries are equipped to serve struggling newborns who do not require care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The nurseries allow community hospitals such as Good Samaritan Medical Center to keep most of the babies born at the hospital close to their families. This has many benefits, ranging from sparing critically ill newborns the stress of an ambulance ride to Boston to allowing parents to spend precious bonding time with their newborn babies and learn about caring for them at home. "Parents are able to come and visit as they please," Dr. Hossain says. For babies who require higher-level care in a NICU setting, Good Samaritan Medical Center's special care nursery works in partnership with Boston Children's Hospital and St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, which is also affiliated with Boston Children's Hospital. Infants move seamlessly from Good Samaritan Medical Center to the Boston NICU and back, cared for by physicians from the same team. Boston Children's Hospital provides a highly trained transport team to care for infants during transport. This allows newborns who are critically ill in the first days of life a place to make a healthy transition to life at home. "I find it very rewarding," says Linda Allison, one of 15 registered nurses who work at Good Samaritan Medical Center's special care nursery. "I love watching the 2-pound babies who come in in such a delicate state flourish, grow and go home." The Massachusetts Department of Public Health certifies special care nurseries based on a number of factors, such as staffing special care nurseries 24 hours a day. Special care nursery staffs also treat and nourish premature infants as well as babies recovering from complications linked to high-risk pregnancies, such as those involving diabetes or drug addiction. Dr. Hossain says one of the prime functions of a special care nursery is parent education. "A NICU is a lot busier and the care of the infants is move involved and complex than in a special care nursery. They have a lot more going on than we do at Good Samaritan," he says. "Our wonderful nurses have more time to do the teaching as, generally speaking, the babies in our unit are more stable and transitioning toward discharge." Allison, who lives in Brockton and has worked as a neonatal nurse for 25 years, says the nursery staff teach parents several skills needed to care for babies who are born premature or from high-risk pregnancies. The mix of training needed depends on the acuity of the child's medical condition and may include lessons on giving medication, making formula, monitoring cardiac and other vital signs, and interpreting sleep patterns. "Parents leave better prepared to take care of these babies who need extra care," says Dr. Hossain. For more information about the special care nursery at Good Samaritan Medical Center, please call (508) 427-3000 or visit www.steward.org/Good-Samaritan. ■ shah hossain, M.d., Chief of neonatology at Good samaritan Medical Center in Brockton and assistant in Medicine, division of newborn Medicine at Boston Children's hospital MdneWS.coM ■ MD News Greater Boston | 17

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