|
NEWS RELEASES
HOUSTON
(Apri1 19, 2007) – In the world of patient care, especially
pediatric, the role of a nurse is integral in not only medical care,
but they also serve as a guide through the sometimes frightening
process of health care. For many nurses, a bond is developed with a
patient and their families that lasts a lifetime. In the case of
Karen Moise and Bella Belleza-Bascon, lead nurse coordinators
with the Texas Children’s Fetal Center, they have begun to form
these relationships with their tiniest patients long before they are
born.
The
Texas Children's Fetal Center provides integrated,
multidisciplinary care for mothers carrying babies with birth
defects requiring therapy before or immediately after birth. A vital
aspect of our service to patients and referring physicians is the
coordination of care facilitated by a registered nurse. The nurse
coordinators are the primary contacts and liaisons between the
various points of care delivery: specialists, diagnostics, social
workers, the hospital and the referring physicians.
They provide
patients with necessary support to make the experience at Texas
Children's Fetal Center a seamless one. The coordinators guide the
patient through the entire process from coordination and explanation
of complicated procedures to housing and transportation
arrangements. The patient has direct access to the coordinator
assigned to her by phone and e-mail at any time.
For Bella and
Karen, this is more than an occupation – it’s a calling. “We are
treating cases that are on the forefront of modern medicine. When we
can help a mother bring a healthy baby into the world, there just
aren’t words to describe a feeling like that,” said Bella. “I have
worked in nursing for more than 16 years and found the most
fulfillment in what I do now.”
For fellow
registered nurse Karen Moise, her role in fetal treatment developed
throughout her more than 30 years in nursing, many as a labor and
delivery nurse. It is also no coincidence that she works side by
side with her husband, renowned fetal interventionist,
Dr. Kenneth Moise. During the fall of last year, the couple
packed their belongings and moved to Texas from North Carolina, in
order to reach a greater number of patients.
“For my
husband and I, this is our life’s work,” emphasizes Karen. “When I
tell people I’ve had a good day at work, that means I’ve been able
to make a positive difference in the lives of both a mother and her
unborn child.”
Some 150,000
babies are born each year with birth defects. Complex birth defects,
which affect about three percent of newborns, are the leading cause
of death and illness in babies’ first year of life. Preventing or
lessening such incidents of birth defects is the goal of fetal
interventionists and fetal surgeons at the Texas Children's Fetal
Center.
For
additional information about the Fetal Center please visit
www.texaschildrenshospital.org/fetal.
Additional
Resources:
|
