MISSOULA - Community Medical Center welcomed expecting mothers for a special open house tour of their labor and delivery facilities, preparing for a significant transition as hundreds of patients relocate from Providence St. Patrick Hospital's Family Maternity Center.
The three-hour event gave soon-to-be mothers the opportunity to familiarize themselves with CMC's facilities ahead of the Oct. 10 transition. Between 400 and 450 patients will now deliver their babies at Community Medical Center following Providence St. Patrick Hospital's Family Maternity Center's announced closure.
Watch Story Here:
"We very quickly started making plans and trying to figure out what equipment will we need? What additional staff members would we need to be able to take that incoming volume?" said CMC chief nursing officer Hollie Nagel.
The recent open house provided expecting mothers a chance to tour the labor and delivery unit, antepartum unit, and NICU before giving birth at the facility.
"These new moms that might be not expecting to deliver here originally, but now things have changed, and we want them to have the opportunity to come in to see where they'll be delivering, meet some of our staff members, and understand the resources that we have to offer them," Nagel said.
Labor and delivery nurse Rita Stevenson expressed enthusiasm about meeting the incoming patients.
"You get to kind of walk in, bond with your patient, really get to know them and kind of walk them through the labor process as it progresses," Stevenson said.
CMC expects several doctors and nurse practitioners to relocate to their facility to serve patients.
"We're excited to have the staff that have joined us from Saint Pat's and then these families, as you kno,w we get to be a part of their story, so that's really exciting," Nagel said.
Watch previous coverage: Fallout from announced closure of St. Patrick Hospital's labor and delivery department continues
