At Highland Community Hospital in Picayune, there is an area that is primarily devoted to the needs of women and their children.
The two-part service is known as the Center for Women’s Health.
Janelle Imhoff, director of obstetric services said Picayune’s first Ob/Gyns, Dr. Clyde Blackburn and Dr. Lee Gipson established the original clinic around the 1960s.
The first part of this service is the clinic. Women are seen by one of three doctors, Dr. James Blount, Dr. Cynthia Jean-Pierre or Dr. S. Osbourne, for routine gynecological and prenatal care, Imhoff said.
Dr. Jean-Pierre has served the clinic for the past nine years and said it’s important for women to schedule annual gynecological exams and practice a timely routine of prenatal care.
“It’s important for a woman’s health and overall well being,” Jean-Pierre said. “We have a capable and excellent staff and services that are comparable to any hospital and clinic. We specialize in women’s care.”
In addition to the three physicians, there are two nurses and two medical assistants.
The second area is women’s service, which is the hospital department for labor and delivery, Imhoff said.
All post-operative gynecological patients are also cared for in this area.
“We offer one-on-one patient care with our labor patients,” Imhoff said. “We have nurses that assist the mothers and fathers during labor.”
Parents can opt for a natural childbirth experience without the use of anesthesia, Imhoff said. On the other hand, the center is staffed with an anesthesia group to administer epidurals.
“We have telemetry monitoring, which allows our patients to be mobile during labor,” Imhoff said. “The rooms are equipped with walk-in showers for pain control. Once the baby is born, he or she remains in the delivery room with their mother. All procedures on the baby are done in the same room. This allows for immediate breastfeeding and bonding with mom and dad.”
There is also a nursery that is utilized for intermediate care, including oxygen therapy and the administering of antibiotics, Imhoff said. Nursing staff are also available to allow parents a break.
Highland Community Hospital is located at 130 Highland Parkway.
The women’s clinic is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To schedule an appointment, call 601-358-9422.