By Colleen Reynolds, OSF HealthCare
Derrick Frazier, the new president of OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, believes access to high-quality maternity care is essential to the health of communities. “When expectant mothers can receive expert care close to where they live, it leads to healthier pregnancies, healthier babies, and greater peace of mind for families,” Frazier says.
Those expectant mothers who may be seeking emergency care at OSF HealthCare Saint Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington now have access to a dedicated obstetrics emergency department, or OB ED. The OB Ed is specifically designed to provide faster, specialized treatment for pregnancy-related concerns.
Medical Center leaders say the new system will streamline care for patients from 20 weeks gestation through six weeks postpartum by combining emergency triage with around-the-clock obstetric expertise.
“Every mother deserves access to exceptional care close to home, and every baby deserves the healthiest possible start in life. Providing high-quality, compassionate maternity care means supporting families through one of life's most important moments while ensuring they have access to the expertise and resources they need.” Frazier adds, “We're proud of our Mission Partners (employees) for their dedication to caring for mothers and newborns with excellence, compassion, and respect.”
New Position, Same Mission
Although Derrick Frazier is new to the position of president, he has been a part of OSF HealthCare since June 2023. But well before then, he was dedicated to working behind the scenes in healthcare. Before his time at OSF, Derrick served as Chief Executive Officer at Morehouse General Hospital in Bastrop, Louisiana, and at Homer Memorial Hospital in Homer, Louisiana.
Derrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Savannah State University and a Master of Health Service Administration from Armstrong State University—both in Savannah, Georgia.
He and his wife, Doris, enjoy their blended family of four children. Outside of work, he loves to travel, often finding new places and experiences that inspire his leadership and perspective.
Now, his leadership role as President of the Greater Bloomington Region includes OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington and OSF HealthCare Saint James—John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac.
Faster Triage and Treatment
Manager of the Family Birthing Center at OSF Saint Joseph Medical Center Kristin Salyards, MSN, RNC-OB, says with the new OB ED, most pregnant women will still enter the hospital through traditional channels, including the emergency department, but staff will quickly determine whether they should be treated in the specialized OB emergency department.
“They will receive education from their providers offices, but they can also just present to the hospital like they have before,” says Salyards. “When they present to the ER, the ER and the OB teams will then collaborate to determine the best location for treatment for those patients.”
Women referred by their obstetric provider for pregnancy-related concerns can be directed straight to the OB ED upon arrival.
Located within the Family Birthing Center on the second floor, the OB ED features private space dedicated to the evaluation and management of pregnancy-related concerns. This specialized setting ensures patients receive expert care tailored to their unique needs. It also provides quick access to labor and delivery rooms, operating rooms, and the special care nursery if emergency intervention becomes necessary.
Non-obstetric emergencies will continue to be treated in the main emergency department.
Reducing Stress and Delays
The main goal of the OB ED is reducing delays and stress for expectant mothers experiencing complications or urgent concerns.
Salyards explains, “It’s ensuring that our moms have access to care when they need it, as soon as they need it right here.”
A key change is the addition of an in-house obstetrics provider available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Previously, nurses handled the initial obstetric triage process before contacting providers as needed.
“The provider being in house 24/7 allows that immediate triage by an OB trained provider and then also allows that provider to be in house to provide whatever treatment is necessary for those moms.”
Staff members throughout the obstetrics department are being cross trained to work in multiple areas of care, allowing the hospital to adjust staffing levels as patient needs fluctuate.
The introduction of the OB ED also enhances coordination across hospital departments. Diagnostic orders, imaging, and lab services for obstetric emergency patients are associated with the OB ED location within the electronic medical record, supporting accurate routing and efficient care delivery while maintaining standard workflows for collection, transport, and reporting.
Officials say a broader refresh of the Family Birthing Center is underway but already OB ED is creating a calmer, more welcoming environment for patients and families while improving access to specialized maternity care.
Elevating Patient Safety
In addition, OSF HealthCare is enhancing patient safety and care in its labor and delivery units through a groundbreaking virtual monitoring program introduced in all its hospitals last year that enhances traditional bedside care with advanced technology and expert support.
Using PeriWatch Vigilance, an AI-enhanced software, a centralized team of OSF OnCall registered nurses known as the OSF OnCall Acute OB team monitors laboring patients in real time. The system uses tiered, color-coded alerts to signal early signs of potential complications. When an alert is triggered, the OnCall Acute OB nurses coordinate directly with the in-hospital care team to ensure prompt follow-up.
The digital health arm of OSF HealthCare, is also offering women on Medicaid the option of opting into a Pregnancy and Postpartum Support program that offers 24/7/365 access to an OB care team. By leveraging remote patient monitoring, education, coaching, navigation, and virtual care, OSF OnCall optimizes the expertise of highly engaged nurses, many of whom work remotely, ensuring personalized care for patients through many encounters.
The health system also has a dedicated pregnancy and postpartum mobile unit that operates in counties with a high percentage of low-income residents to ensure they receive proper pre-natal and postpartum care.
The various innovations to support the health of pregnant women and babies reflects a continued commitment from OSF HealthCare to develop unique solutions that improve access, strengthen community health, and remove barriers to care.
For more information about the Obstetric Emergency Department at OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center, please visit our website at www.osfhealthcare.org.
