OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington will be adding neonatology services to its birthing center next month, hospital officials announced Tuesday.
Neonatology coverage will be provided around the clock by experienced neonatology experts from OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, delivering advanced care to premature and high-risk infants.
“This expands the scope of services provided at St. Joseph,” Dr. James Hocker, neonatology division head at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois, said in a statement Tuesday. “It not only allows more babies to stay in the community and not be separated from their mothers, but it also provides for a more prompt response to emergencies.”
OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois neonatal providers will minimize clinical variation, support high quality care at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, and provide safe stabilization and transfer should the patient need to be transferred to OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois.
“Despite the presence of neonatal providers at OSF St. Joseph, some babies will require a transfer to OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois. Hopefully the parents will find some comfort in the fact that the same group of providers caring for their newborn at OSF St. Joseph will continue to provide care at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois,” said Dr. Hocker.
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