New Orleans East Hospital recently held the grand opening of its new Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic.
This is a major milestone in New Orleans East Hospital’s strategic plan to bring labor and delivery back to Eastern New Orleans since the shuttering of Methodist Hospital in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The ribbon cutting and grand opening was held May 10.
“Opening the New Orleans East Hospital Maternal Fetal Medicine clinic is a definitive victory for both the hospital, our city parishioners, Board of Commissioners, and healthcare management system in our long-term mission to revitalize this community by fully restoring healthcare services that were readily available for citizens living in the East, Lower 9th Ward, and Gentilly,” says Dr. Takeisha Davis, CEO and President of New Orleans East Hospital. “Our primary goal is to educate and empower expecting mothers and families in Eastern New Orleans on the new and improved level of access they have to Maternal Fetal Medicine in their own neighborhood.’
Maternal fetal medicine prioritizes the health of mother and baby in the case that risk factors are present during the pregnancy. Risk factors can include multiple births at once, underlying health conditions (diabetes, mental health – stress, anxiety), advanced maternal age (being 35 and older), medical history of miscarriage, and more. It’s becoming more common for women to delay pregnancy until after 35, further increasing the risk of complications.
The state of maternal health across the country is in critical condition, with Louisiana ranked the highest in maternal mortality in the U.S. A third of Louisiana’s parishes are maternal health deserts, a status earned by not having at least (1) one OB-GYN in the region, leaving more than fifty thousand women in the state without easy access to care.
Although New Orleans East is not a maternal health desert, the impact of making maternal health care services more accessible to this part of the city is not lessened. Healthcare providers, community maternal health advocacy organizations, and women alike continue to enthusiastically receive the new clinic and its staff to East New Orleans.
“We’ve already seen the significant benefits of this new location. Decreasing stress is a critical part of increasing safety outcomes for high-risk pregnancies, so we look forward to the ongoing benefits of this clinic location concerning the peace of mind and improved access it can bring patients who live in the East,” says Dr. Robert Maupin, chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine and the professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at LSU Health.
The Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic at New Orleans East Hospital is currently servicing patients on Tuesday and Thursday every week. As awareness of the clinic’s location continues to grow among expectant mothers and families who live in the East, the hospital expects to continue expanding its services to meet the community’s needs.
If you are pregnant and currently enrolled in Maternal Fetal Medicine care and looking to assess options for care closer to home with your OBGYN, please visit NOEHospital.org or call (504) 592-6760 to learn more today.
