March of Dimes Grant Supports Parents of Premature Infants Born at The Medical Center

The March of Dimes Greater Kentucky Chapter has awarded a $7,500 grant to The Medical Center at Bowling Green to support the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) parent peer support group. The group, named NICU P.E.A.S. (Parent Encouragement And Support), enables parents of NICU babies to talk to and share their feelings with a “support parent” who has been in a similar situation. The Medical Center’s project is one of only four projects funded throughout the state by the March of Dimes grant.

“The March of Dimes Greater Kentucky Chapter is very excited to have this opportunity to support this project, which has the potential to have a significant impact on the health of mothers and babies in Southcentral Kentucky,” said Katrina Thompson, Director of Program Services for March of Dimes. The Medical Center also received a March of Dimes community grant award in 2010 that helped create the NICU P.E.A.S. group.

The support parent visits with parents of the preemie or sick newborn during the mother’s hospital stay to see what they can do to provide needed emotional support. At the request of the parents of the newborn, the support parent arranges to spend additional time with the new parents. The support parents and the nursing staff combine efforts to help parents cope and maintain healthy attitudes to nurture their newborn during the hospital stay. Additionally, the group hosts support meetings every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in The Medical Center Medical Conference Room to help new parents adjust to their situation.

“Over the past year, we have seen first hand the success of the NICU P.E.A.S. group in providing parents with needed support during such an emotional time,” said Amber Herman, OB Clinical Manager for The Medical Center. “The personal experience that a support parent brings to the table can make a world of difference for the parents of a premature or ill newborn. The March of Dimes grant will allow us to grow this program and provide this opportunity for support to even more parents.”

About The Medical Center
The Medical Center at Bowling Green is the flagship hospital for Commonwealth Health Corporation (CHC). Located in Bowling Green, Ky., The Medical Center is a 337-bed, full service, not-for-profit hospital specializing in heart, cancer care, obstetrics and neonatology, and orthopaedic services. With a mission to care for people and improve the quality of life in the communities it serves, CHC and its entities including The Medical Center at Bowling Green contributed $50.4 million in community benefit in fiscal year 2010. The Medical Center treats patients regardless of their ability to pay and annually provides millions in community benefit through charity care for the uninsured and shortfalls in governmental reimbursements (Medicare and Medicaid). To learn more, visit www.TheMedicalCenter.org.

About The March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes website at www.marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language website at www.nacersano.org.

The Medical Center's Cancer Program Accredited by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons

The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) has granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to the cancer program at The Medical Center. The Medical Center received a Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation following an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor during which The Medical Center demonstrated a Commendation level of compliance with one or more standards that represent the full scope of the cancer program (cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach and quality improvement). In addition, the facility received a compliance rating for all other standards.

The Medical Center earned its first CoC accreditation in 2004. The Medical Center provides Southcentral Kentucky with the most comprehensive cancer program including an on-site radiation treatment center with the most advanced technology, as well as chemotherapy and surgical services. The Medical Center also offers an extensive range of health and wellness programs for the community, focused on increasing awareness of the importance of prevention, early detection, and treatment options.

The CoC is dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care. The Accreditation Program, a component of the CoC, sets quality-of-care standards for cancer programs and reviews the programs to ensure they conform to those standards. Accreditation by the CoC is given only to those facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care and that undergo a rigorous evaluation process and review of their performance. To maintain accreditation, The Medical Center must undergo an on-site review every three years.

Receiving care at a CoC-accredited cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to:

• comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment
  
• a multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options
  
• information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options
  
• access to cancer-related information, education, and support
  
• a cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow up
  
• ongoing monitoring and improvement of care
  
• quality care close to home
  

The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 1.5 million cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2010. There are currently more than 1,400 CoC-accredited cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, representing close to 25 percent of all hospitals. This 25 percent of hospitals diagnose and/or treat 71 percent of newly diagnosed cancer patients every year.