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HOLY NAME MEDICAL CENTER NEW MATERNITY UNIT HAS COMFORTS OF HOME
Maternity units have been called the happiest place in the hospital . And for women delivering babies at Holy Name Medical Center , that setting may have just become even more pleasing . The medical center ’ s newly renovated BirthPlace maternity unit includes a lot of features expectant parents likely left behind when they drove to the hospital : a private room , smart TV with builtin web browser , and abathroom with floor-to-ceiling tiles , stone countertops and awaterfall shower with bench seating . In addition , they benefit from the medical services they wouldn ’ t have athome , such as around-the-clock access to certified lactation specialists , and individualized instruction on breastfeeding , car seat safety and vaccines . Maternal-child health specialists also follow up on how things are going after mother and child have gone home . “ These renovations and additional services enhance this incredible experience and help our patients focus on the joy of childbirth ,” says Ashley D ’ Elia , director of women ’ sand children ’ sservices at Holy Name .
ENGLEWOOD HEALTH A NEEDED PERSPECTIVE ON CARDIAC SURGERY
Dr . Molly Schultheis says that when she attended medical school , roughly half her fellow students were women . When she practiced general surgery , she says , that number came down to about one in 10 . As a cardiothoracic surgery fellow , about one in 20 of her colleagues were female . “ There was this idea that you won ’ t have a good quality of life because the specialty is so demanding ,” says Schultheis , whose first job after her prolonged period of training is as a cardiothoracic surgeon at Englewood
DR . MOLLY SCHULTHEIS
Health . “ But I had both my pregnancies during my residency and fellowship .” Part of a team of three surgeons , she says , “ We have each other ’ s backs .”
Schultheis says that she ’ s seen an increase in the number of female thoracic surgeons — doctors trained to operate on organs inside the chest , including the heart and lungs — but that change has been much slower in the percentage of cardiac surgeons who are women . And that ’ sashame , because women with cardiac disease often present with symptoms that are different from men , and these often go unrecognized , putting them at higher risk . “ With regard totreating females with cardiovascular disease , it ’ simportant to have women in my position ,” says Schultheis .
Alarge study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association in March compared outcomes over 10years of men and women who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery , and found that women had higher risks and worse outcomes , she says .“ Men could present with classic symptoms of chest pain radiating down the left arm , but women might have reflux orfatigue , and these could be symptoms of aheart attack ,” she says . Iftheir symptoms are overlooked , they will come in with more advanced disease , which then leads toworse outcomes . She would like toparticipate in studies specifically on female patients , she says , in hopes of improving the outcomes of women with heart disease .
Schultheis says she thinks her female patients in particular show asignificant appreciation for the extra time she spends with them . Her tendency to treat patients like family could stem from her being amother , she says .“ Isit at the bedside and talk to them to make sure they ’ re feeling understood and comprehend their diagnosis and treatment ,” she says .“ That ’ swhat Idoat home .”
ROOM : COURTESY OF HOLY NAME MEDICAL CENTER / LAURA DESANTIS-OLSSON ; HEADSHOT : COURTESY OF ENGLEWOOD HEALTH
6 2023 EDITION ( 201 ) HEALTH