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When a brilliant idea comes up, a common answer is, "Why did not that happen sooner?"
With the creation of a space for emergency obstetrics at the Mercy's Labor & Delivery building, as well as a clinic focused on follow-up care for needy patients, we can only congratulate ourselves.
Arkansas and Oklahoma are among the states with the highest infant mortality rates in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An equally disturbing statistic is that for every American woman who dies of childbirth, 70 almost dies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 50,000 women suffer each year from "high maternal morbidity" related to childbirth.
Just days after it opened, Mercy's new OB-ER put some pressure on his main emergency service. Instead of seeing a doctor in the emergency room, an obstetrician on the third floor of the labor and delivery room can immediately see a pregnant woman experiencing a serious problem, such as miscarriage, at home. place of the main emergency.
The result of the visit will be a quicker and more acute diagnosis by a registered obstetrician. But if the woman does not already have an obstetrician, Mercy's sister program at the OB-ER is coming soon. A care facility for the needy at the Mercy Clinic of McAuley Family Medicine is being created to accommodate patients, with or without insurance or payment method, by June 20.
Providing "good options" for women who may feel at a loss may also be an added benefit. Dr. Andrew Riché, Chief of Staff at Mercy, contacted local health departments and other clinics in hopes of leading the women to the Mercy OB-ER and the next McAuley Clinic.
A trained obstetrician and gynecologist from Baton Rouge, Riché has been with Mercy since 2001. He saved many lives here, mothers and pregnant mothers. And he humbly accepts this responsibility, swelling with pride at the impact he has had on the community. We hope this impact will continue even long after his retirement.
The goal for Riché, with this new OB-ER program and medical follow-up, is to increase the number of births from 10 to 20 per month. Now, Mercy Fort Smith sees about 2,400 births each year. We will try to keep an eye on Mercy and Dr. Riché over the next few years to see if this worthy goal would become a reality.
Although not the first of its kind in the state, Mercy Fort Smith is still a pioneering effort that should not go unnoticed. As we saw with the response on social media this week after the first publication of this story, it has fortunately not gone unnoticed.
According to Riché, proactivity and continuity of care are essential elements of this undertaking. They expect to recover their investment in a few years, said the chief of staff to reporters this week. But we think that it is not money. We hope that this new emergency room and follow – up clinic will help those doctors who have the pity to save lives and bring peace of mind to the community. The miracle of birth is nothing to take lightly. But there is an old saying that "children are the light of the house".
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