News

Beebe Medical Center Expands Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program

03/31/09

Terry Hess, RN, NNP, a neonatal nurse practitioner, has joined Beebe Medical Staff to support the care of newborn babies in the Beebe Medical Center Women's Health Pavilion.

Ms. Hess works with neonatal nurse practitioner Rosemarie Pomilla, BA, BSN, NNP, who has been a member of the team at the Women's Health Pavilion as the Advanced Practice Nurse for Newborn Care since 2005. Together, the specially trained and veteran nurse practitioners offer Monday through Friday, 12-hour medical care and support to patients, nurses, obstetricians and pediatricians.

They provide immediate medical care for the sick newborn when the pediatrician is not available. In addition, they allow the pediatricians to continue seeing patients in our offices during routine or repeat c-sections until we can get to the hospital, Judith Gorra, MD, Chief of Pediatrics at Beebe Medical Center, explains, adding that Beebe Medical Center's pediatricians are on 24-hour call.

Our neonatal nurse practitioners each have nearly 30 years of experience, Dr. Gorra says. It's good to know that I can see a sick child in my office and not worry about care provided to the newborn at Beebe Medical Center.

Mrs. Pomilla says the two neonatal nurse practitioners are in regular contact with Dr. Gorra, as well as the other three pediatricians on the Beebe Medical Staff.

We work directly with the pediatricians, she says, adding that the neonatal nurse practitioners are available at the hospital to support the obstetrician during emergency C-sections, or for deliveries with complications. They also are there to assess the infants' health before the pediatrician arrives. We are trained in neonatal resuscitation and are here in case of an emergency. We also can stabilize and prep a newborn for immediate transport.

In fact, Mrs. Pomilla and Ms. Hess first met nearly 30 years ago when they were working as neonatal transport nurses with the Maryland Regional Transport System, which served the Baltimore area medical centers with emergency helicopter and ambulance services. Both of the nurses were responsible for stabilization, resuscitation and care of infants on their way to neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Both went on to earn their neonatal nurse practitioner degrees and worked for years at other medical institutions.

We're excited to be working together again, says Ms. Hess.

Ms. Hess worked as a nurse practitioner in the Baltimore area in level 2 NICUs with Hopkins/UMH affiliations, as well as for the Pediatric Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital. She then covered Level 2-3 hospitals in the Philadelphia area such as Temple University Hospital and most recently Chestnut Hill Hospital affiliated with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She earned her neonatal nurse practitioner certification at University of Florida Hospital in Jacksonville.

Mrs. Pomilla, a nurse graduate of the University of Maryland Nursing School, worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital for 20 years as a neonatal nurse practitioner and supervisor of their Neonatal Transport Team, and earned her neonatal nurse practitioner certification from Georgetown University. She came to Beebe Medical Center from Union Hospital in Cecil County, Maryland, where her job was essentially the same as the one on Women's Health. She is a 24-year, retired LTC of the Maryland Army National Guard, who served with the 136th Combat Support Hospital.

The Women's Health Pavilion is supported by 36 nurses, including 2 lactation specialists, and 4 pediatricians, 4 obstetrician/gynecologists and 3 midwives. It has 6 labor/delivery rooms and 6 women's health rooms. On average, nearly 100 babies are born each month.


Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health with the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebemed.org