The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

4 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, April 26,1994 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" COMMUNITY | RIOTEY MN &/ DI PI ESTING VAY ES Local hospital ready to give birth to new obstetric unit By Scott Anderson Port Perry Star It's been an eight-year incu- bation period, but Community Memorial Hospital is about to give birth to a new style of ob- stetrical care. CMH is poised to become one of the first hospitals in Ontario to introduce L.D.R.P. (Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Post- Partum) rooms to its obstetrical unit. "It's been a long, long incuba- tion period," said Rae Robson Chief Nursing Officer at CMH, who first pitched the concept to hospital and government offi- cialsin 1985. "The whole mode of delivery and how people have babies will change." With the introduction of the four new rooms, the patient will remain in the same room from the first signs of labor to dis- charge. Unlike the old method of shuttling the patient from a la- bor room to a delivery room and to a recovery room, all aspects of the birth will take place in the one room. This will add continuity to the whole birthing process, Mrs. Robson said. "The whole mode of deliver- ing a baby will change," Mrs. Robson said. "We will now have all the support people and all the amenities in one room.' The rooms, which could be more appropriately called suites, are 285 square feet and possess all the amenities of a ho- tel including television and VCR, private bathroom and shower, and furniture. A cot for the fatheris provided as well. The rooms will be painted in a series of comforting pastel col- ors including green, pink and lavender. All equipment necessary for a normal delivery is brought to the room. Caesarean section de- liveries are performed in the op- erating room. As all functions will be per- formed in the room from labor to delivery, the same nurse will aid in the complete process, therefore offering a continuity and familiarity to the proce- dure. "Our nurses are generalists, capable of looking after all as- pects of labor and delivery," said Connie Jamieson, Manager of Human Resources. As the nursingstaffis already familiar with the process, no ad- ditional training or staffing changes are necessary. The days of a nursery in which the babies are left in is gone as well. Mother and child will be together throughout the entire stay at the hospital, theo- retically never leaving one's side. "There's no reason to separ- ate them in this concept," Mrs. Robson said. And as it is a more personal care involved with the new rooms, the care provided to each patient will be flexible, and re- sponsive to the needs of the pa- tient. "We really want to gear this whole experience to what the mother wants to do," Mrs. Rob- son said. The contact with the hospital does not end at discharge, as a J. PETER HVIDSTEN / PORT PERRY STAR Port Perry Legion president Fred McMann and Doug Butt proudly display a plaque presented to them by the 1st Port Perry Scouts. The award was in appreciation of the continuing support of the Legion towards scouting. wg SUE BONY > nurse will follow-up a few days later. The staff will also be avail- able for consultation at any time. "We're always there and they shouldn't hesitate to call us," she said. Although Community Memo- rial Hospital will be a pioneer in offering this type of care, offi- cials say this thought never crossed their minds when they began investigating the service almost a decade ago. In fact, the personalized at- tention in child birth is not new at the hospital. "The philosophy behind it is not new here," Mrs. Jamieson said. "But now we have the equipment and experience to of- fer these rooms." The L.D.R.P. rooms are part of Community Memorial Hospi- tal's $6 million expansion which began last spring. In addition to the rooms, there is also plans for the expansion of the emergency facilities, cafeteria, laboratories as well as renovations to present facilities at the hospi- tal. The official opening of the new Stephen B. Roman wing of the hospital is scheduled for the fall, with the L.D.R.P. rooms ready for usein June. "I'm really excited about the whole concept," said Mrs. Rob- son. "It'll be a first rate facility. You have to be able to see it to really appreciateit," she said. Walk-a-thon to assist SCOTT ANDERSON / PORT PERRY STAR Sonya Vannetten, of Port Perry, tries out one of the new birth- ing beds which will be used in the L.D.R.P. rooms at Communi- ty Memorial Hospital See story. Scugog's food bank By Kelly Lown Port Perry Star Operation Scugog's Food Bank will be the recipient of do- nations from an innovative source next month, as all pro- ceeds from an upcoming walk-a- thon will benefit the local organ- ization. The 10-kilometre "Talk It, Walk It, Stock It" walk-a-thon, the brainchild of Maggie McDo- nald of Port Perry, is being planned for May 15. The name of the walk-a-thon represents getting people talk- ing about the event and walking in the event to stock the shelves of the food bank. Residents who like to walk are invited to take part in the fundraising event, which Mrs. McDonald would like to see be- come an annual event, with a different benefactor each year. Mrs. McDonald would also like to see other communities pick up on the idea and benefit organizations in their own towns. %» NOW AVAILABLE Be. Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday LARGE Mrs. McDonald, whois takin a course on self-expression an leadership, wanted to organize something during her course which would help people to live healthy and secure lives. By helping the food bank, which is currently facing heavy de- mands, she feels she can achieve that goal. "Right now there are a lot of people out there who need help," she said. Residents wishing to partici- pate in the walk-a-thon can pick up a pledge sheet at Strawberry Threads, Port Perry IGA, Set- tlement House, Immaculate Conception Church or at the Royal Bank. Anyone wanting more information can call Mrs. McDonald at 986-8551 during the day and 985-3187 in the evenings. Volunteers are also needed for the day of the walk-a- thon. There is no admission fee to take part in the worthwhile cause, participants are asked to CC RC RC RC RC RC RCC RC RC RC RC RC RC CRC NC CC RC RC RCC RC RC RC RC CRC CC CC CC CC CR Ll] THE ORIGINAL 20 PIECE BIG FOOT 'COMBO sQUARE PYF ® 5 i y 4 y 4 A & S U B S withpeooenon 99 onl with . Find us fast in plUS BREADS TICKS br PEPPERONI ; --_rr "Y, , Thre tay Additional 80 Water Street, Port Perry Free Delivery the "Yellow [J A DELIVERY Expires May 204 pss tux Toppings Available Pages" ™ 085-8448 .."" ¢ O00 0000000000000 00000060000060060000 0000000000050» WE DELIVER TO THESE AREAS -- Port Perry, Blackstock, Nestleton, Caesarea, Seagrave, Greenbank, Utica, Epsom, Scugog Island. BIG FOOTGI GIANT just raise as much in pledges as possible. The 10-km walk will begin at Palmer Park and take in many streets in Port Perry, a route de- signed by local historian Paul Arculus. Township Mayor Howard Hall has given the green light for the event and Durham Re- gional Police will be on hand for safety measures. Community News Ideas? Call The Port Perry Star 985-7383 \ J THE ORIGINAL 28 PIECE wih "Canadian" P roni por 99 & mushrooms plus tax FAST FREE ALL DAY DELVERY Expires May 304