Two Saint Luke’s hospitals will partner to offer maternity care for pregnant patients in the region. Beginning Dec. 10 Wright Memorial Hospital will team with Hedrick Medical Center to offer labor and delivery services for pregnant patients as part of a regional model of care for maternity services.
Pregnant patients who receive maternity care at Wright Memorial and deliver before Dec. 10 will experience no change in their care plan. Beginning Dec. 10, pregnant patients can continue to receive prenatal and post-delivery care in the clinic with physicians at Wright Memorial but will labor and deliver with OB/GYNs at Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe, Mo. Gynecological and gynecological surgical care services offered at Wright Memorial Hospital will be not affected by the change.
“Our labor and delivery team strives to provide the highest quality care for all our patients. Like many rural hospitals, current trends in recruitment have made it difficult for us to recruit and retain new highly skilled physicians and nurses to maintain that level of labor and delivery care,” said Gary Jordan, CEO of Wright Memorial Hospital. “By partnering with Hedrick Medical Center, also a Saint Luke’s hospital, we will continue to offer high-quality care, and patients may return for all follow-up care close to home in Trenton.”
The challenges are unique to the hospital’s maternity program because those skilled clinicians are required to reside near the hospital. The hospital continues to see growth in its specialty care by physicians who live in or travel to Trenton for clinics to provide patient care close to home.
“Saint Luke’s Health System is firmly committed to Wright Memorial Hospital and to providing the highest quality health care services to this community,” said Julie Quirin, Senior Vice President of Hospital Operations. “We look forward to bringing additional specialty care and other resources to the hospital to serve the needs of our patients.”
Wright Memorial Hospital works closely with Hedrick Medical Center and will help facilitate patients’ deliveries there. Wright Memorial Hospital also plans to expand its weekly clinical care for pre- and post-delivery patients.
