Weslaco – Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco is certified as a Level II Neonatal Nursery and provides award-winning maternity care which is convenient and close to home for Mid-Valley parents.
The certification by the Texas Department of State Health Services is a demonstration of the hard work and award-winning care provided by neonatologists, a neonatal nurse practitioner, neonatal nurses, and other staff members at Knapp Medical Center. This dedicated team is led by Dr. Ramiro Caballero, Neonatal Medical Director; Dr. David Overfield, Neonatologist; Olivia Estrada RN, BSN, Director of Women’s Services; and Selina Hernandez RN, BSN, Neonatal Program Manager.
A neonatologist certified through a Neonatal Resuscitation Program provides services for babies born at Knapp Medical Center, and is available 24 hours a day / seven days a week.
Anna Hinojosa, RN, MSN, Chief Nursing Officer for Knapp, said the certification — as well as several awards for maternity care from Health Grades, along with high patient satisfaction scores for responsiveness and for communication with doctors and nurses at the Weslaco hospital — demonstrate the excellent care that is being provided to newborn babies and their mothers at the Knapp Women’s Center.
“Knapp Medical Center’s clinical team works consistently to pursue the highest standards for clinical excellence, and we are extremely proud of this achievement,” Ms. Hinojosa added. “We at Knapp Medical Center remain committed to the pursuit of patient-centered excellence in all that we do.”
Knapp’s maternity center provides an attractive and very convenient location for Mid-Valley women for the beautiful experience of the birth of their child. The maternity center features private rooms with a relaxing décor, including colorful “sky panels” in the ceilings which depict blue skies, clouds, palm trees and other comforting images.
“Our re-furbished, private post-partum rooms look pretty and appealing to the mothers,” said Olivia Estrada, RN, Director of Women’s Health Services for Knapp Medical Center.
Aside from the physical facilities, Ms. Estrada said the key ingredient in creating wonderful experiences for new families is the experienced obstetrician – gynecologists, neonatologists, and other physician specialists, as well as specially-trained nurses at Knapp Medical Center.
“We strive to give each of our patients the highest quality of care and make the birthing experience a good one,” she added. “Our goal is to establish a good relationship between each mother and her nurse, to promote continuity in the care of the patient. We try to keep the same nurse with the same patient as long as possible.”
Obstetricians-gynecologists who serve on the active medical staff at Knapp include Dr. Ronald Blanco, Dr. Juan Gonzalez-Dickson, Dr. Annabelle Lopez, Dr. Mona Mallikarjunaiah, Dr. Rory Minck, and Dr. Gregoris Nunez. In addition, Sandra Rodriguez, CNM, DNP, serves as a Certified Nurse Midwife, with the office of Dr. Lopez. The care these physicians and Knapp’s specially-trained nurses show for their patients has contributed to several awards for the Knapp Women’s Center – including all three “Women’s Care Specialty Excellence Awards” which are awarded by Healthgrades, an online resource for information about hospitals.
In addition, nurses in Knapp’s nursery, labor and delivery and post-partum units are trained in neonatal resuscitation. Patients may choose to have their newborn “room-in” with them. If not, the certified newborn nursery is also located on the same floor, just a short distance from the postpartum rooms.
Women’s Services at Knapp Medical Center also features:
- Anesthesia care providers who are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to consult with the mother’s obstetrician, in order to meet her pain management needs
- State-of-the-art security for the safety of newborns and mothers
- Free childbirth classes, including helpful tips on the benefits of breastfeeding, breathing techniques, and options for pain medication; as well as free instruction on proper use of child safety car seats (with a free car seat available for those who meet income guidelines)
For more information on the free childbirth and car seat classes — or to schedule a tour of the award-winning maternity center and newborn nursery at Knapp Medical Center — please call 956-973-5350 or 956-969-5360, e-mail OEstrada@PrimeHealthCare.com; and visit Women’s Health Services.