UNC Health plans a $40 million improvement in services for women

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Dr. Don McKinley, Chris Ellington, Executive Director of UNCH; and Renae Taylor, UNCHS Vice President/Director of Nursing

LUMBERTON — Over the next two years, UNC Health Southeastern plans to improve its women’s health services through a multi-phase initiative to improve its hospital services for women, mothers and babies, as well as consolidate its women’s health clinics in a mixed environment. .

The health system plans to invest more than $40 million in local construction and renovations to support projects that include relocating the hospital’s OB/GYN and neonatal services to a state-of-the-art women’s center on the fourth floor of the Rust Tower.

“Our in-hospital women’s health services will be upgraded from its current location in one of the original wings of the medical center, to a modern, centralized area in the heart of the main campus,” said OB/GYN Dr. Don McKinley, who serves as medical director of the health system’s women’s health program. “This will be a source of pride not only for our caregivers and providers, but also for our community and the patients we serve.”

This investment shows the health system’s commitment to patient- and family-centered care for women and newborns, providing state-of-the-art obstetric and newborn care, all in one place.

“The new women’s health services space within UNC Health Southeastern’s medical center will bring a much-needed upgrade, incorporating labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms for a more enjoyable experience for parents-to-be,” she said. Renae Taylor, vice president of UNC Health Southeastern. President and Director of Nursing.

Another phase of the project will include the consolidation of outpatient clinics from three locations into one.

“This will bring much-needed efficiencies, supporting women at all stages of life,” Taylor said. “It will also support collaboration among caregivers as we provide comprehensive OB/GYN care in our community.”

UNC Health’s Southeast Women’s Health program has experienced significant growth over the past five years, all of which led to this extensive facility improvement project.

“The expansion of our program has included the addition of seven OB/GYN physicians and the further development of our collaborative midwifery service,” added Dr. McKinley. “Several of our OB/GYNs are able to offer gynecologic robotic surgery. We will continue to offer high-risk obstetrics, also known as maternal-fetal medicine, services through the support of UNC Health and have established the state’s leading rural obstetrics addiction program to meet the desperate need in our community.”

To accommodate all the plans of the women’s health initiative, several clinics will move to new locations within the health system, details of which will be announced as the project progresses. UNC Health Southeastern Day Spa will close June 7 to allow Rehabilitation Services to return to the Fayetteville Road location, making the third floor of Southeastern Health Park available for the new location of the combined women’s health clinics. Day Spa gift card holders should contact Mike Jimenez at (910) 671-5000 ext. 5861 or michael.jimenez@srmc.org.

“We realize that this project will cause some areas and services to be disrupted, in most cases temporarily, but we are looking towards the end results and what that will mean for our community not just mothers-to-be and their babies, but also women and their health care needs at every stage of their lives,” said Chris Ellington, president and CEO of UNC Health Southeastern. “This project has been a long time coming for these patients and this community and we stand ready to make whatever efforts are necessary to ultimately improve these services.”

Dr. McKinley added that UNC Health’s Southeast Administration and Board of Trustees’ commitment to women’s health has been strong, especially now with the construction of a new state-of-the-art, high-tech women’s health unit. and a new outpatient center to bring women’s health to every level. programs under one roof.