Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital for Women & Children opened the first obstetrics emergency department in Alabama on Aug. 29, equipped to handle emergencies at any stage of pregnancy, according to a report by AL.com.
The obstetrics ED is an extension of the hospital's obstetrical hospitalist program, which launched at the hospital in December 2015. The new ED is staffed with five board-certified OB-GYNs who have training in cardiac life support and communication with emergency medical personnel. Labor and delivery nurses are also on hand.
Huntsville Hospital has the highest delivery volume in Alabama, and the obstetrics ED expects to see roughly 600 patients per month, according to the report. In its first week, the specialty ED treated 158 patients.
When a patient comes in to the obstetrics ED, she is triaged by a nurse and then seen by an OB-GYN hospitalist or her own physician, depending on her wishes, the instructions from her personal physician and the situation.
Prior to Huntsville opening the new ED, the closest obstetrics ED was in Nashville, according to the report.