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Health Matters: Providence Mission Hospital | 11 Hospital Within a Hospital The fifth floor of Providence Mission Hospital is home to a CHOC neonatal intensive care unit. F amilies who choose to give birth at Providence Mission Hospital have the extra security of knowing that outstanding neonatal care is available for their newborns just steps from the birthing unit, should such care be needed. The fifth floor of our hospital in Mission Viejo is home to CHOC at Mission, a 54-bed children's hospital that is part of CHOC's health care system. "The partnership between CHOC and Mission Hospital focuses on serving the babies and families of the South County community," says CHOC neonatologist Anita Shah, MD. "Nobody dares to think that their baby might fall ill, but as we all know, the unexpected happens. Our 22-bed, Level 3 NICU is available 24/7 to respond to babies in need. From prenatal counseling to resuscitation, we are available to meet the needs of expectant parents and alleviate their fears so they can enjoy their pregnancy and infants." At Providence Mission Hospital, we aspire to provide our patients with an unparalleled birthing experience and the safety of having trained neonatal providers on hand. "The benefit of our NICU is we have services of a children's hospital with the intimacy of your community hospital," says Liz Drake, RN, a clinical nurse specialist at CHOC at Mission Hospital. "We aim to create a family-partnered environment for South County 's sickest, smallest patients." "The CHOC at Mission NICU is a family, and any patient staying with us becomes part of that family," adds Dr. Shah. "The care is personalized, evidence- based and delivered with great compassion." In collaboration with Providence Mission Hospital, the perinatal nurse navigator program is a testament to that concept. The navigator is a liaison for women experiencing high-risk pregnancies - often under the care of maternal-fetal medicine specialist Vivien Pan, MD. The navigator coordinates a meeting with the NICU team before childbirth to discuss the possible scenarios following birth and needs of the family and infant. "I answer questions they have about their upcoming delivery," says Aime Morrison, RN, the perinatal nurse navigator. "We develop a strong connection with our patients and make sure they are able to talk to CHOC at Mission's team prior to delivery. We really personalize their care." An example of this personalized care is a family preparing for the birth of a child with Down syndrome. "We encourage the family to tour the NICU in advance of the birth and meet the neonatologist who will care for the infant," Morrison says. Families can also access pastoral care, mental health services and lactation consultants before the delivery. "The best part of our relationship with CHOC is that we are able to care for our families right here in our community," she says. "These families are often caring for other kids at home. We try to keep the patients in our community so families can have a better home-life balance." Talk with our perinatal nurse navigator about your birthing journey at 949-485-8648.

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