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With a dedicated history of improving the lives of women and infants in the area, state and region, the leadership at Woman’s Hospital (Woman’s) announced their plans to open Louisiana’s first inpatient pregnancy and postpartum mental health unit. The perinatal mental health unit will allow the award-winning hospital to maintain focus on offering a more comprehensive continuum of care to its perinatal patients— women who are at any stage of their pregnancy up to one year postpartum.
Under the leadership of Woman’s President and CEO Rene Ragas; Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Cheri Johnson, MSN, RNC-OB; Director of Inpatient Perinatal Psychiatry Kelly Schwartzenburg Cannon, MD; and Clinical Director Bianca Glueck, RN, the specialized unit will be one of only four facilities in the nation with a unit solely dedicated to the unique needs of pregnant and postpartum women.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), maternal mental health conditions are among the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth. These conditions include anxiety, perinatal depression, postpartum depression and birth-related PTSD.
Currently, perinatal women who require inpatient mental health care are admitted to generalized mental health facilities. In recent years, Woman’s has noted a significant increase in the number of perinatal women who require treatment for mental health issues. The team at Woman’s is confident that having a place specializing in the specific needs unique to perinatal women’s conditions, will not only help these patients, but possibly even save lives.
“Pregnancy-related mental health issues affect one in five women—more than the average person would expect,” says Johnson. “Sadly, a staggering 75% of those affected go untreated. In addition to these sobering numbers, mental health conditions are a leading cause of death in pregnant and postpartum women in the United States. Those are not statistics we can sit by and ignore here at Woman’s.”
The $8 million perinatal mental health unit at Woman’s will open in September. The unit will have 10 private beds, allowing patients to be among others facing similar challenges. The unit will accept private insurance as well as Medicare and Medicaid.
“Our goal is to specifically provide com[1]passionate inpatient treatment for those who are pregnant through those who are one-year postpartum and require acute mental health services,” says Johnson. “As patients’ conditions permit, their care teams will allow the mothers time with their newborns—a proven critical step in the healing process of perinatal women with mental health conditions.”
A specialty hospital for women and infants located in Baton Rouge, Woman’s has welcomed nearly 400,000 babies since opening in 1968, making it one of the largest delivery services in the country and the largest in Louisiana. Additionally, Woman’s operates a level III-S neonatal intensive care unit which allows them to care for infants who are extremely premature, are critically ill or require surgical intervention. The hospital is also recognized for its expertise in mammography as well as breast and gynecologic cancer care. As a private, nonprofit organization, all funds are reinvested into the hospital to continue Woman’s mission of improving the health of women and infants through the latest technology, a highly qualified staff and critical community programs and services.
“As the largest single-hospital provider of maternity care for women in Louisiana, it’s our responsibility to address all aspects of perinatal health,” says Ragas. “By meeting the needs of women experiencing pregnancy or postpartum-related mental health conditions, Woman’s Hospital advances our mission of improving the health of women and infants.”
Woman’s Hospital is located at 100 Woman’s Way in Baton Rouge. For more information, call 225.927.1300 or visit womans.org
