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Hospital’s Maternity Department Implements More Security
ROME – People who visit new moms and their babies at Rome Memorial Hospital will find an added level of security in the Maternity Department.
The main doors of the department are locked and visitors now have to press a buzzer to be let in and out of the department, according to Cathy Destito, RN, Maternity Nurse Manager
"Parents today are looking for more security on maternity units, because of the abduction stories they’ve seen in the media," she said. "We’ve never had an incident, but parents want to know that every step is being taken to prevent one."
When the unit was renovated in 1996, the hospital installed video monitors and a keypad entry system in the nursery to keep newborns safe and secure. In addition, a new "Hugs" alarm system, funded by the Rome Twigs, will soon be installed.
"We probably will never need to see the infant security system prove itself, but it will give new parents that extra peace of mind," she said. "And, the locked doors will also help us protect our patients’ privacy."
Outside the department door is an intercom system. After visitors ring the nurses’ station, they will need to provide the full name of the patient they want to see before they will be let in to the department.
"If you do not get an immediate response from the nurse, please be patient," Ms. Destito said. "Our patients are our prime concern. If we are tending to the needs of a patient, we will answer the buzzer as quickly as possible."
Nearly 650 babies were born at Rome Memorial Hospital in 1999, a 14.7 percent increase over the previous year. "Although it’s difficult to pinpoint a specific reason for the increase, I think it may be due to the community’s greater awareness of the physicians in our area," Ms. Destito said. "For several years, we had a limited number of doctors delivering babies in Rome, now we have six physicians and a nurse midwife, including the only two women obstetrician/gynecologists in Oneida County."
Choices for women who are planning to have a baby include Anita Amidon, MD; Ankur Desai, MD; Lauren Giustra, MD; Richard Hofmann, MD; David Kirk, MD (low-risk); Paul Temple, MD; or Nancy Peek, RN, NP, CNM (certified nurse midwife).
"The renovations have also made a positive impression with families," Ms. Destito said. "The birthing suites are comfortable and homelike and we can now offer women 24-hour availability of epidurals for pain relief during labor."
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