Big investment helps Skiff’s smallest patients

The 2017 Skiff Gala raised $56,000 last April, and that money is now making a difference in the lives of the tiniest patients cared for at Skiff Medical Center. Three top-of-the-line infant warmers are now in use in the OB department.

“This is the latest tech for newborns,” Jan Myers, inpatient services director said. “Thanks to these, everything we need for babies is at our fingertips.”

The units include built-in resuscitation equipment, suctioning, oxygen, medical air, a heating element, visualization lights, a weight scale and a timer for taking the one-minute and five-minute APGAR scores, which summarize the newborn’s health. In addition, the units are equipped to constantly monitor the baby’s temperature and O2 levels, to sound an alarm if either levels go into undesirable ranges, and to have the alarms silenced hands-free, so that the nurses can use both hands with their patient as needed.

The units are portable, so they can be taken to wherever they’re needed. At the moment, two units are being kept in the OB department and the third is stationed in the OR department, for use after C-sections.

Although the units contain more equipment than Skiff’s previous warmers, they have a smaller footprint, so they take up less space in patient rooms.

“It is so exciting to see the generosity of our Skiff Gala attendees manifest into technology that makes a difference in the care of our patients,” said Foundation and Mission Manager Leisa Zylstra, who coordinates the Skiff Gala each year. “It’s a fantastic community event that also has fantastic results.”

To learn more about Skiff, call 641-78-SKIFF (787-5433), visit www.skiffmed.com or "like" them on www.facebook.com/skiffmed.