Labor & Delivery: Improving Comfort and Care, 2008-09

Shasta Regional Community Foundation: McConnell Fund

With grant money received from The Shasta Regional Community Foundation through the McConnell Fund, Mayers Intermountain Healthcare Foundation will be able to create two fully furnished labor and delivery rooms designed for the care and comfort of new mothers and their babies. Specifically, the money will be used to purchase rocking chairs with footstools, sleeper chairs that convert to beds, new bassinets and fresh paint.

The goal of this project is to refurbish and furnish both rooms so that all women who come to Mayers Memorial for labor and delivery will experience optimal care and wellbeing. The comfort of the mom is a top priority because she needs to focus on the task at hand. Relaxation during labor reduces pain and tension, provides increased oxygen to mother and baby, decreases overall time, and conserves valuable energy needed for final stages of labor. The new rocking chairs will allow the laboring mom to sit during labor while still being monitored, make frequent position changes, and improve her sense of control over the process. Following delivery, the rocking chairs will also promote bonding, relaxation and breastfeeding by providing mother and baby a comfortable sitting environment. The sleeper chairs will help birthing coaches relax so they can focus on supporting the woman in labor.

The money provided from the McConnell Fund, through Shasta Regional Community Foundation, has not only improved the actual care to mamas and babies, but has also supported the District’s role as gateway to the best health care services in the rural Intermountain Region. The grant funds from the Community Foundation are part of the collaborative efforts that enable Mayers Memorial Hospital District to truly provide a continuum of total life health services to residents and visitors of the Intermountain region.