How Crouse Health is Strengthening Maternal and Newborn Care Across the Region

Crouse Health has quietly been playing a critical role in offering affiliate hospitals across Central and Northern New York hands-on experience at one of the region’s most active OB centers.

Through a Regional Perinatal Center (RPC) Grant Coordinator program, Crouse serves as the OB RPC for 17 affiliate hospitals. While much of this work happens through off-site education – like fetal monitoring classes, obstetrical patient safety training, drills and skills sessions – some of the most meaningful learning happens right here at Crouse.

When Lewis County General Hospital prepared to reopen its Maternity unit, their nurses needed real-world experience and Crouse opened its doors. Lewis County RNs came for multiple shifts, some staying for weeks, pairing with the Labor & Delivery nurses at Crouse to assist with laboring patients and deliveries, provide mother and baby care, rotate through the NICU, and connect with Lactation. By the time they returned home, they were ready.

That model has since extended to other affiliates. Lourdes Hospital is currently cross-training nurses across labor, postpartum, and newborn care, with staff spending time in the NICU at Crouse learning to assist with procedures and develop skills such as starting IVs on newborns. 

Nurses from St. Joseph’s NICU have also come to gain experience with ventilated babies and procedural support. RNs from Auburn Community Hospital have trained to scrub for cesarean sections, a practice that, even informally, stretches back years.

The philosophy is simple: nurses learn best by doing, and not every hospital can offer the volume or acuity that Crouse can. Pairing visiting nurses with experienced Crouse staff creates a two-way exchange, affiliates gain confidence and competency, and Crouse reinforces its role as a regional resource and partner.

This regional commitment is just Crouse doing what it has done for decades – showing up for the communities and colleagues who need support. Whether it’s a nurse learning to care for a ventilated newborn or a team preparing to deliver babies again after years away, Crouse is there.

Bianca Morales is the Social Media Coordinator at Crouse.