Healthgrades Names St. Anthony Community Hospital 5-Star Recipient for Vaginal Delivery

St. Anthony Community Hospital has been named a 5-star recipient for Vaginal Delivery by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. This 5-star ratings indicate that the hospital's clinical outcomes are statistically significantly better than expected when performing the procedure being evaluated.

"With close to 3,500 births a year at both St. Anthony Community Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital, our Maternity Departments are clearly dedicated to clinical quality and the finest in patient care," said Mary Leahy, M.D., CEO of Bon Secours Charity Health System.

It's no wonder that our Maternity Departments have received these 5-star ratings. At St. Anthony's, the Kennedy Birthing Center provides all the comforts that a new family needs. Eight Labor Delivery Recovery Post-Partum (LDRP) private rooms have their own bathrooms, mini refrigerators and sleeper chairs for dads with 24-hour access. "We move the furniture, not the patient," said Diane DeFreest, RN, Director of the Kennedy Birthing Center at St. Anthony's.

Demand breast feeding is supported, which encourages breast feeding where babies can nurse on demand, when they're hungry -- 85 percent of new moms now breast feed. A lactation consultant is available to help them, if necessary, and to offer breast feeding classes every two months for pregnant women who want to breast feed. An operating room suite is on the same floor for C-sections, and five beds are dedicated for gynecological and female plastic surgery patients. State-of-the-art security is also utilized to protect the babies.

The 22 RNs who work on the unit have been there for many years. In fact, Diane DeFreest has worked at the hospital for 43 years and one of the nurses, MaryPat Swenson, RN, has worked there even longer, 47 years. James Brockunier, M.D., Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and three other ob-gyns and three pediatricians are also on staff.

To top off their experience, a celebration dinner is held for the new parents the night before discharge.




Caption: Members of the Maternity team at St. Anthony Community Hospital includes (l-r): Elizabeth Brady, RN; Diane Defreest, RN; Director, Maternity; Irene Eason, Secretary; Carol Mangiameli, RN; Cindee Pascal, RN.