BY TRACEY DUGUAY
It is estimated that as many as 20 premature babies per year will need to seek medical treatment elsewhere because of a change in the status of the neo-natal unit at the Sudbury Regional Hospital.
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Effective Monday, the unit will go from a modified Level 3 to an advanced Level 2 standing.
In essence this means babies who are born at less than 32-weeks-old (around seven months) will no longer be treated at the Sudbury hospital. Instead, they will be flown by air ambulance to either Toronto or Ottawa, without their parents.
This may also apply to expectant mothers as well if thereÂ?s time to transfer them before the baby is born.
Family/Child Program administrator Diane Belanger-Gardner wants to reassure all expectant mothers they wonÂ?t be turned away because of the change in status.
If a mother arrives at the hospital in labour, the premature baby will be delivered onsite, stabilized by a specialized neo-natal hospital team, and flown to a Level 3 or higher facility. In most cases, it takes about an hour for the preparation and flight.
Â?We always try to provide the services as close to home as possible,Â? Gardner says.
She adds itÂ?s just not possible at this time to continue to treat very premature babies.
The reason for the change in status is due to staffing problems, more specifically in the area of recruiting qualified neo-natologists.
Â?We had one of our specialists leave in the past year and weÂ?ve had other medical changes that caused us to go to a different status,Â? Gardner says. She couldnÂ?t elaborate about the other changes when asked by Northern Life.
Gardner says thereÂ?s a team at the hospital trying to find a long-term strategy to address this problem but for now theyÂ?ll have to refer a small percentage of expectant mothers to other facilities. The hospital delivers about 1,650 babies each year.
There wonÂ?t be any nursing jobs lost as a result of the status change, nor will any beds in the neo-natal unit at the hospital be closed.
There are 10 beds allocated for the intensive care unit and also a transitional area thatÂ?s can be flexible to accommodate as many infants as needed.
