Delivering Babies at CVH

By Dr. Ann Lima

One of the things I love about my job as a full-spectrum family physician at Clearwater Valley Health is that I get to take care of entire families, human beings at every stage of their lives. A very special part of that is taking care of pregnant women and delivering babies. As we hear about rural hospitals closing labor and delivery wards, we are fortunate that we have the support to continue to provide prenatal care and deliver babies, including performing C-sections when needed, here at Clearwater Valley Hospital.
All of our family practice physicians are trained to provide obstetrical care and we also have four providers who have had further training to perform C-sections. We also have a newly hired physician that is getting that extra training this year and will be joining our staff in 2024. Our group also strives to make sure the doctor who has followed a mother throughout her pregnancy is the one who will be there for the delivery. This is a special service that is unique to our hospital.
We also have a robust simulations program to make sure all providers in our hospital get regular obstetrical training. This includes nursing, emergency room physicians, and other support staff are given scenarios of potential serious complications that can occur during childbirth and make sure everyone is aware how to deal with each situation, where emergency supplies are kept, and how to summon the appropriate help. Our nursing staff also attends extra labor and delivery training through Kootenai Health to get additional experience.
At Clearwater Valley Health we are committed to caring for everyone in our community and welcoming the next generation into this world is an honored privilege.