Thompson Health | Partners | Summer 2016

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EXPECTANT MOMS: YOU ARE
IN GOOD HANDS WITH US
Certifiednurse-midwives
delivermore thanbabies
Which medical professionals offer top-quality care for women?
If you thought of primary care physicians, internists, OB-GYNs, physician assis-
tants and nurse practitioners, you’re right. But that list isn’t quite complete. There’s
another group of professionals caring for women of all ages, through every stage of
life. They are certified nurse-midwives (CNMs).
Midwives are probably best known for helping women give birth, and at Thomp-
son Hospital’s Birthing Center, they delivered 21 percent of the babies born in
2015. But CNMs also care for women from the time of their first menstrual periods
through menopause—and beyond.
Each CNM is a licensed registered nurse who graduated from an accredited col-
lege or university, obtained a master’s degree or doctorate in midwifery, and passed
a national certification exam.
This background—along with extensive hands-on clinical training—not only quali-
fies CNMs to care for laboring moms and deliver babies; it also enables them to
offer a full range of primary care to women, such as:
• Providing well-woman exams, including doing Pap tests and breast exams
• Providing information about health screenings, tests and vaccines
• Counseling women about family planning
• Treating sexually transmitted infections
• Writing prescriptions for treatments and medications
• Offering health education on topics such as basic nutrition and parenting
• Helping women navigate menopause
Certified nurse-midwives practice in every state—in birthing centers, health cen-
ters, homes, hospitals and private practices.
For more information, visit the website of the American College of Nurse-
Midwives at .
With student Angela Manjgaladze
observing, Certified Nurse-
Midwife Jennifer Orcutt provides
labor support to Stephanie
Plate of Waterloo, in Thompson
Hospital’s Birthing Center.
If you’re looking for a local provider
who delivers babies, there are several
to choose from:
Canandaigua Medical Group
OB/GYN, 585-393-2800
Jillian Babu, MD
Laura Burgess, CNM*
Catherine Cantwell, MD
Jennifer Orcutt, CNM*
Robert Scott, MD
Jessica Schock, CNM*
Thompson Health Canandaigua
Family Practice, 585-396-6990
Susan Landgraf, MD
Bryan Sandler, MD
Valley View Family Practice
Associates, 585-554-3119
Geoffrey Ostrander, MD
Donna Schue, MD
*Certified nurse-midwife
babies are born, these providers promote
the benefits of breastfeeding.
“We would not have these rates with-
out their tremendous support,” Jones
says. “They’re the ones who plant the
seed.”
Jones says the national Blue Distinction
Center+ for Maternity Care designation
also highlights Thompson’s zero rate of
early elective deliveries. According to
Excellus, early elective deliveries are an on-
going concern in the medical community.
Compared with babies born 39 weeks
or later, these infants face higher risks of
infant death and respiratory ailments.
In addition, Jones says, the Excellus des-
ignation recognizes Thompson’s focus on
family-centered care and patient satisfac-
tion.
A new initiative to enhance patient
satisfaction at Thompson involves ensuring
mother and baby skin-to-skin contact in
the operating room following a C-section.
Traditionally, the baby would be placed
in a warming crib and, after Apgar tests,
wrapped in a blanket and shown to the
parents. Now, at Thompson, when ap-
propriate, the baby is quickly placed skin-
to-skin on the mother’s chest, which helps
build immunity through early colonization
of the baby’s skin with the bacterial flora
of the mother.
“It’s also just a nice bonding moment
and it makes a surgical event feel like a
normal birth experience for the mom,”
Jones says.
Also new in Thompson’s Birthing
Center: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
nurse practitioners from the University of
Rochester Medical Center (URMC) provide
coverage from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., seven days
a week, attending deliveries and provid-
ing immediate assistance for any newborn
experiencing difficulties.
With more than two dozen Birthing
Center nurses and providers certified
in electronic fetal monitoring, a robust
simulation program offering training for
low-frequency and high-risk situations and
experiential learning, Jones says Thomp-
son is unique among community hospitals
when it comes to maternity care.
“The level of quality is exceptional, and
we are extremely proud of the excellent
care given by our staff and providers,” she
says.
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