VRMC achieves level II specialty care maternal facility designation
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS, August 3, 2021 – Valley Regional Medical Center is now one of 90 Texas hospitals and the first hospital in Brownsville to receive a Level II Maternal designation from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
After two years of preparation and a meticulous review process, Texas EMS, Trauma and Acute Care Foundation (TETAF) surveyed Valley Regional Medical Center to ensure all designation requirements were met.
Labor and Delivery Services director, Ditas Ferandez, BSN, RNC-OB, said to achieve Level II status the hospital had to demonstrate its ability to serve pregnant and postpartum patients that had medical, surgical and obstetrical conditions that cause low to moderate risk for maternal mortality and morbidity.
“The achievement of a higher level of maternal care was entirely a team effort that included almost every department in the hospital,” said Ferandez. “I would like to especially thank our labor and delivery and postpartum teams, our Maternal Medical Director, Dr. J. Gabriel Guajardo and our Chief of Obstetrics, Dr. Ricardo Lemus, who were instrumental in the successful designation.”
“I’m extremely proud of the Valley Regional team for its commitment to achieving Level II maternal designation,” said Dr. Guajardo. “The fastidious requirements promote a detailed approach to every patient encounter and ensure that we are providing the highest standard of care to our community.”
In addition to the Level II Maternal Designation, Valley Regional Medical Center is also designated as a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) by the Texas Department of State and Health Services. The designated NICU offers a full range of pediatric medical subspecialties, respiratory support and advanced imaging supervised by the 24-hour staffing of a certified neonatologist or an on staff neonatal nurse practitioner and several neonatal nurses. It is recognized by Healthgrades for Superior Performance in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Labor and Delivery six years in a row and is a Healthgrades Five-Star Recipient in multiple categories.