Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON — While most of St. Francis Hospital’s care for pregnant women and their newborns takes place inside the building at Seventh and Clayton streets, the hospital staff has taken prenatal education on the road in an effort to help pregnant young women in Wilmington.
A group of hospital employees, under the direction of Dr. James Cosgrove, visits Bayard House once a week to assist the women who live there. Bayard House, operated by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington, is a residential program serving homeless or transitional pregnant teens and young women while they prepare to live independently.
The hospital staff offers prenatal and neonatal care, as well as a 13-week lecture series on a variety of topics “ranging from newborn care to anesthesia to complications of pregnancy to healthy habits to breastfeeding,” said Cosgrove, chairman of the obstetrician/gynecology department.
“It’s just a chance for us to meet with the population one on one. It’s a nice intimate relationship.”
Those delivering the talks include Cosgrove and another doctor, nurses, nurse practitioners, an anesthetist, a religious sister and the hospital’s vice president for mission and ministry, Catherine Weaver.
There are anywhere from five to 10 women at Bayard House for the 45-minute talks, Cosgrove said. The relationship between the women and the hospital staff has been very positive. Several hospital employees have gone to Bayard House on Christmas with presents they have bought, and one nurse, Stephanie Bender, is also a photographer who has taken portraits of the pregnant women.
Although the talks are timed for 45 minutes, the staff will stay with the women as long as necessary to answer their questions, said Cosgrove, a member of St. Joseph on the Brandywine Parish in Greenville.
Kim Ellis, the program manager at Bayard House, said the program has fostered self-esteem and growth among the young women who live there as well as helping them physically.
“It has been an enriching experience for our young women. It’s helped in many ways in caring for their babies, what to expect, understanding what their bodies are going through,” she said.
She praised the hospital staff for taking time to answer questions and listen to the stories the women have to tell.
“They genuinely care; they want to ensure that ladies such as these get the information,” Ellis said.
The program at Bayard House helps St. Francis fulfill its mission to serve the community regardless of the patients’ personal situation. Many are uninsured, but that does not change anything about their care, Cosgrove said.
“The big thing at this practice is we turn nobody away. We see everybody, regardless of their insurance considerations. Everybody gets treated absolutely the same,” he said.
Cosgrove and two of his colleagues at St. Francis did their residency work at Bethesda Naval Hospital. The approach at St. Francis is similar in that insurance does not prevent them from treating any patient. It also allows medical professionals to practice what they wanted to do when they went into the field – help people.
“This is the perfect place for you to live that statement. Whether it’s faith-based or not, employees of St. Francis Hospital can take care of everybody that comes through the door. … It’s not unlike the military. You just practiced pure medicine,” he said.
Although the women from Bayard House are under no obligation to have their children delivered at St. Francis, Cosgrove said they will receive the same “high-touch, high-tech experience” that every patient receives.
Ellis said many of the women do go to St. Francis because they have gotten to know the staff. As new mothers return to Bayard House with positive reviews, others decide they want to deliver there.
“They have told us when they go over there they’re at ease,” she said.
Each time Cosgrove hands a newborn to its mother, he is reminded why he got into medicine. “When I deliver a baby and I pass it to the mom, and I watch the mom and the baby look at each other, it’s just breathtaking. After probably 5,000 deliveries in my career, it just humbles me that I have the privilege to see that.”
