MMC expands labor, delivery and postpartum services

Long Branch — Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, held a dedication ceremony to celebrate the newly renovated and expanded Labor and Delivery Unit at the Eisenberg Family Center. The unit features completely renovated labor and delivery suites, additional triage rooms, and an expansive, centrally located nurses’ station.

Monmouth Medical Center was presented with a Joint Legislative Resolution recognizing the hospital’s commitment to women’s health, wellness and safety. From left, Bill Arnold, President and CEO of Monmouth Medical Center, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr., Claire Knopf, Chairman of the Monmouth Medical Center Foundation Board of Trustees, Suzanne Spernal, Administrative Director of Women’s Services at Monmouth, Laura Eisenberg Barr, daughter of Lewis and Judith Eisenberg for whom Monmouth’s maternity unit is named, Long Branch Mayor John Pallone, Robert Graebe, MD, Chair & Program Director, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Dr. Michael Salvatore, Superintendent of Long Branch Public Schools.

The Eisenberg Family Center has undergone several major updates recently, including a new wing of its postpartum unit, with spacious private postpartum rooms for new mothers recovering from childbirth.

A leader in maternity services, Monmouth Medical Center delivers more babies than any other hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties and is ranked fourth in the state for most deliveries with more than 5,500 births annually. Monmouth Medical Center has been a Level III Regional Perinatal Center since the designation was initiated over 40 years. In 2014, Monmouth Medical Center introduced Perinatal and Mood Anxiety Disorders Program, making it the first and only hospital in New Jersey to offer a dedicated treatment center where new and expectant mothers can receive comprehensive care for perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD).

In attendance at the celebration were Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. and his brother, Long Branch Mayor John Pallone, who were both born at Monmouth Medical Center, as well as Laura Eisenberg Barr, daughter of Lewis and Judith Eisenberg, for whom Monmouth’s maternity unit, The Eisenberg Family Center, is named.

During the ceremony, Mayor Pallone spoke about how Monmouth Medical Center continues to lead the way in safety for moms and babies, as well as the surrounding community as a whole, and noted how special this event was to him personally, as both he and his brother, Frank, were born at the hospital.

“The new labor and delivery unit is one important piece in Monmouth Medical Center’s multi-million-dollar investment in the facility, which will benefit the Long Branch community for years to come,” said Mayor Pallone.

Robert Graebe, M.D., Chairman and Program Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Chief of Reproductive Endocrinology at Monmouth Medical Center, noted that to address the rising concerns of maternal health, RWJBarnabas Health and Monmouth Medical Center are active members of a systemwide Obstetric Collaborative Group formed to better the quality and safety of care delivered to New Jersey women.

“We are proud leaders and advocates for women’s health, wellness and safety,” says Dr. Graebe. “We have built one of the safest obstetrical and gynecologic services in the state and continue to expand and upgrade our facility utilizing best practices and the latest technology to ensure the highest levels of patient safety and quality of care are consistently met.”

“Most people have the misconception that maternal health is defined by a period of nine months when it really is a continuum of care that begins when women are very young and lasts throughout their reproductive years,” added Suzanne. “The health of a nation and the communities within them is often measured by maternal and infant outcomes. The expansion of the Labor and Delivery Unit will allow us to provide quality care to even more women and is just another way to demonstrate our commitment to the health and well being of all of the women and their families in our community.”

The Labor and Delivery Unit at Monmouth Medical Center offers at least two attending Ob/Gyn physicians and Ob/Gyn resident physicians on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This is in addition to an attending anesthesiologist, a neonatal intensive care specialist and full hospital support staff. On-call neonatal and perinatal sub specialists are available 24 hours a day for immediate consultation.

Monmouth Medical Center was a pioneer in New Jersey in offering a full-time Laborist Program. This distinctive program increases patient safety with ‘round-the-clock Laborist physicians who are board-certified obstetricians with Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics national certification to monitor patients and perform deliveries on an “as-needed” basis. Monmouth Medical Center also developed one of the first Obstetrical Rapid Response Team in the state, ready to respond to all obstetrical emergencies.

“Patient safety and positive outcomes are at the heart of everything we do,” said Dr. Graebe. “It is this focus and our dedicated and talented clinical and support staff that has earned us the recognition as being a national model for excellence in obstetrics.”

The Eisenberg Family Center renovations and expansions are part of the hospital’s $35 Million infrastructure and investment plan the hospital embarked on earlier this year. The improvements also include day surgery and patient units, a renovation of the postpartum unit, creation of a new interventional radiology suite with new MRI units, as well as general infrastructure upgrades.

“Last year, Monmouth Medical Center began to make essential infrastructure upgrades and other improvements to help us maintain and enhances services in Long Branch for our community,” said Bill Arnold, President and Chief Executive Officer of Monmouth Medical Center. “The upgrades and enhancements, including the ones made to the Eisenberg Family Unit in Labor and Delivery, will provide us with the ability to expand critical services for our patients within our existing primary service area.”

To learn more about the Eisenberg Family Center at Monmouth Medical Center, call 732-732-7755.