The Indiana State Department of Health recertified Franciscan Health Crown Point’s Family Birth Center as a Level III obstetric and neonatal Level of Care facility.
Level III hospitals are equipped to care for complex maternal medical conditions and obstetric complications as well as infants requiring neonatal intensive care.
“Expectant families and new parents alike can rest easy knowing mothers and their babies receive comprehensive care in a new, state-of-the-art facility right in their own backyard,” said Carrie Renschen, MSN, RNC-NIC, C-ONQS, director of the Family Birth Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Franciscan Health Crown Point. “This recertification confirms what I see daily in the professional, compassionate care provided to our patients and their families. I congratulate and thank our staff for all they do to embody our Franciscan values while serving our patients.”
Indiana legislation went into effect in September 2019 requiring all hospitals offering obstetric and neonatal care to be certified based on the services they offer. The Level of Care certification is intended to give pregnant women and their doctors information to help them choose the facility that is best for them, which is critical for women with high-risk pregnancies.
Among the requirements for a Level III birth center are demonstrated experience and capability to provide comprehensive management of severe maternal and neonatal complications, an onsite intensive care unit, advanced imaging onsite and nurses with advanced, continuing education in maternal-fetal nursing including the management of women with complex maternal illnesses and obstetric complications.
Level III birth centers must also have an OB/GYN and neonatologist physically present at all times as well as a full complement of subspecialists readily available for consultation.
Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago neonatologists staff the Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit at the new Franciscan Health Crown Point, caring for the most vulnerable babies and their families close to home.
“Thank you for your continued commitment to (ensure) women and infants receive equitable and risk-appropriate healthcare,” Eden Bezy, assistant commissioner of the Women, Children and Family Health Commission of the Indiana State Department of Health said in a letter announcing the recertification.
Franciscan Health Crown Point’s Level III certification will remain in effect through May 2027.
A virtual tour of the Franciscan Health Crown Point Family Birth Center is available on the Franciscan Health YouTube channel. To learn more about the Franciscan Health Crown Point Family Birth Center, call (219) 757-6330.
