Trust gives $500,000 to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs

The Katherine C. Anthony Charitable Trust donated $500,000 for the development of a mother baby unit at CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs. The hospital announced the donation Tuesday (May 2).

The existing mother baby unit will be remodeled to allow mothers and their newborns to be in the same room starting from when the babies are born.

Tony Houston, president of CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, was grateful for the gift from the charitable trust. “As a long-time champion of the health ministry Katherine generously supported the Hot Springs community through many healthcare initiatives including funding the creation of the Cooper-Anthony Child Advocacy Center,” Houston said. “This gift will allow our ministry to adjust our model of care for mothers and their children in a way that has a lasting effect.”

Clint Henson, obstetrics/gynecology physician, explained this model of care has numerous benefits. “Keeping moms and babies together is so important that many professional organizations have made recommendations promoting ‘rooming in’ and opposing routine separation of mothers and babies after birth.”

The following are some of the benefits for the “rooming in” model of care:

• Babies cry less and are easier to calm
• Mothers get more rest
• Ability to respond to baby’s feeding cues
• Produce more breast milk, faster
• Increase bonding time