Saint Joseph Mount Sterling’s most fragile patients – infants born with special needs like Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, and those affected by premature birth, fetal anomaly and respiratory disease – will benefit from new equipment at the hospital, unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, leaders from the hospital and Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Foundation expressed their gratitude for those that made the new equipment possible. Thanks to a $36,000 grant from the WHAS Crusade for Children and a $25,333 gift from the Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Volunteer Guild, the Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Foundation was able to replace outdated equipment at the hospital.
The new GE Giraffe OmniBed Carestations for the Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Birthing Center will be used to help accommodate neonatal infants until they can be transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). These beds are designed to help create a controlled, protected environment for infants, which will minimize temperature swings and provide warmth during transport.
“We cannot thank the WHAS Crusade for Children and the Volunteer Guild enough for their generosity, which will help hundreds of children a year at this facility,” said Leslie Smart, CFRE, president, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Foundation. “These OmniBeds will allow us to provide the very best care available to infants in the Rockcastle County area, and help to improve patient outcomes and save lives.”
“Kids are so important to us all, and when we found out this facility needed some upgrades to help their smallest patients, we wanted to do our part to help,” said Dawn Lee, executive director, WHAS Crusade for Children. “We are looking forward to hearing stories about how this equipment is saving lives for many years to come.”
The Giraffe Omnibed Carestations are versatile and an important addition for a busy Birthing Center that must change and adapt quickly to the fragile condition of infants. The outdated equipment at the facility did not have advanced capabilities and was in need of being replaced.
The current beds were purchased in 2011.
“This equipment was much-needed and will be a valuable addition to the Birthing Center,” said Sherry Taul, president, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Volunteer Guild. “When parents turn to Saint Joseph Mount Sterling for care for their newborn children, they can do so knowing that they have the best equipment available to help assist them, and we were proud to play a part in helping make this happen.”
(provided by CHI Saint Joseph Health)
