MAKING THE ROUNDS
A day in the life of caregivers, friends, and volunteers at Scott & White
ucked away in the picturesque
East Texas town of Brenham
is a community hospital that
welcomes patients and visitors with
open arms, inviting each person in like
an old friend.
Down the hall from the entrance
to Scott & White Hospital - Brenham
is the Labor and Delivery Department.
The warm smiles at the reception desk
and sweet words from caregivers belie
the fact that the unit is equipped with
advanced technology and experienced
staff who tend to new mothers and
neonates. Like nurse Penny Divin,
RN, who’s maternal from the moment
you meet her, a 16-year veteran of
her profession who has helped deliver
hundreds of babies. She’s a pro at
making patients feel at ease. “Generally,
if you can get expectant mothers to
talk about themselves, then they’re less
anxious,” Ms. Divin says.
“Miss Penny,” as she is called by
fellow nurses and patients, straps a
monitor from the sonogram machine
to a woman’s baby bump. A loud
whooshing noise, like static on an empty
radio channel, interrupts Ms. Divin’s
jovial chitchat, and soon the sound
of a strong heartbeat fills the room.
“There’s our punkin,” she says, gently
patting the woman’s belly. Although
new life enters the world at a slower
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pace than most of the activity at Scott &
White Hospital - Brenham, Ms. Divin’s
years of experience in fast-paced, highrisk facilities have made her alert and
ready for anything. Most of her training
comes from working in high-risk labor
and delivery at the University of Texas
Medical Branch at Galveston. She also
worked at Texas Children’s Hospital.
"We have a really
great team of
nurses here who are
wonderful to work
with. They’re always
there to help you.”
—Penny Divin, RN
“I absolutely loved it,” she says. “It was
the first time I got to deliver babies.”
Now she’s part of a team that each
month brings about 30 babies into the
world. They’ve also recently welcomed
two new obstetrician/gynecologists
to the department’s family: Aaron
Campbell, MD, and Ali Delukey, MD.
Two years ago, Ms. Divin and her
family moved to the Houston area
from the small rural town of Bellville.
“I had several job opportunities in Katy
when I came to interview with Jeanette
[Scheel],” she says. “But I was drawn
here because of the quaint, homey feel,
and I liked that.” Patients seem to like
it, too, says Ms. Scheel, who is the
director of the department.
“Some patients will say their friends
have told them to go to a larger facility
to deliver their babies,” Ms. Scheel
says. “But they are very glad that they