This Mother’s Day, we are celebrating our OB program, which cares for mothers all year long. During the pandemic, our OB team, headed by OB program coordinator Jessica Valencia, NCMA, has gotten innovative as they’ve worked to provide care to our patients in the safest ways possible. They have developed a hybrid in-person and telehealth system, in which patients alternate between in person and telehealth visits depending on their needs.
New patients appointments, all appointments in which labs are needed, and all appointments during the last few weeks of pregnancy are among those held in person. At these appointments, our patients are cared for by volunteers Leigh Ann Breckenridge, NP, and Andrea Burnett, NP, as well as Dr. Danielle Avula, one of our employed physicians. Cathy Tuck, RN, volunteers two days a week to care for our OB patients as well.
During their telehealth appointments, our patients receive care from volunteers Judy Collins, NP, and Mimi Bennett, NP, who offer telehealth visits from their homes. During these visits, patients are able to check their own blood pressures using blood pressure cuffs they received from CrossOver. When patients receive these blood pressure cuffs at one of their in-person appointments, our team helps them learn to get accurate blood pressure readings.
OB program coordinator Jessica Valencia, NCMA, says this model has made it possible to provide excellent care to our patients while also keeping everyone–patients and volunteers alike–as safe as possible. Even so, “two or three of our patients got really sick with COVID-19, and we were able to care for them,” she said. “Our social work team helped them with food and rent and things they needed for their babies.”
All of our OB patients have benefitted from the care they receive at CrossOver, especially because, they tell our team, many other providers can only book appointments two or three months out. Our patients need us now, and our team has made that possible. “I’m really grateful to all of our providers,” Jessica says. “Thanks to them, we have helped a lot of patients.”
It’s not too late to join us for this year’s Spring into Action event on Tuesday, May 11, 12–1 p.m. Our theme will be COVID-19 and children’s mental health, and a panel discussion will consider this topic. We will also premiere a video about CrossOver’s response to mental health needs. This is a live, virtual event, and it’s free of charge, though attendees will have the opportunity to make a donation if they choose.