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EVANSTON, Wyo. — Intermountain Health said it is seeking to fill a gap in maternity care in Evanston by pairing virtual care from OB-GYNs with in-person nurse visits through a new program — Maternal Health Connections.
Evanston Regional Hospital discontinued its labor and delivery program at the end of 2024. Intermountain Health's new program does not replace the loss of labor and delivery services in Evanston.
New moms now need to travel to Intermountain hospitals in Ogden or Park City for care, an hour further for those in Evanston. Hospital administrators say this new program will go a long way toward reducing travel time for women needing frequent prenatal and postpartum visits.
The Maternal Health Connections program will offer appointments two days a week at the Uinta Medical Building, 96 Arrowhead Drive, for expecting mothers and mothers who have recently delivered. There, they will be seen by a nurse and a virtual OB-GYN or midwife located in Utah.
Women who are more than 28 weeks pregnant and up to six weeks postpartum will be given monitoring devices to check their blood pressure, oxygen saturation, heart rate, temperature and weight. The devices are connected to Intermountain Health's Virtual Hospital in Murray through an app, so the data can be reviewed live and complications can be brought up to an on-call physician.
A statement from Intermountain Health says many new moms who would have previously had maternal visits and delivered babies at the Evanston Hospital have been traveling on remote roads, subject to severe weather, for each visit since the hospital stopped services.
Dr. Ibrahim Hammad, a maternal-fetal medicine physician overseeing the program, said economic and geographic challenges make an already difficult time more complicated for expecting mothers.
"It's part of our responsibility, as health care professionals, to not only provide care and treatment in clinics and hospitals but also to reach out to our patients in an effort to ease their burden. This program is designed to bring maternal care to the patient," he said in the statement.
Courtney Bettinson, a nurse who will provide the hands-on care during the visits, said she has been caring for women and newborn children in Evanston for the last 31 years and has put her "heart and soul into developing this new program."
"I'm passionate about women's health and providing access to care for moms and babies. I love and care about the people in our community," she said in the statement.
She will provide home visits for moms and newborns after delivery, providing education, lactation support and weight checks for up to one year after the baby's birth.
Krystal Richards, the grants project director for the Maternal Health Connections program, says its mission is "to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in Uinta County and surrounding communities."
She said they are excited to offer a local option for maternity care and are committed to maintaining care in the county. She said the program was made possible by a $3.9 million grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration.
Intermountain Health has provided similar Maternal Health Connections services in Montana since 2023. The company's statement says the program has reduced miles patients need to drive and led to a decrease in postpartum depression and increase in care continuity.
