Hospital Opens First Tele Neonatology Program in Wyoming

Cody, Wyo. (March. 17, 2023) – Our Level I Nursery Center now has even greater access to neonatal intensive care specialists when needed. Our team has been trained in using the new telemedicine technology is ready to consult with our tele neonatologists.

Our new telemedicine technology will allow providers and teams to connect with neonatologists in Denver and Billings to examine infants in real-time, provide recommendations for treatment, or evaluate for transfer to a neonatal intensive care unit.

“This will be a wonderful addition to an already amazing birthing team here at CRH. “Tele neonatology will be an added tool for care and will not be replacing our in-person pediatric or nursing coverage. We are fortunate to be able to bring this service to the Big Horn Basin,” states Doug McMillan, CRH Chief Executive Officer.

“This technology enhances our communication with teams we can only consult by phone at the present time. In the immediate future, we will be able to consult a neonatologist with auditory and visual capabilities through a secure application to join our team when needed. This will give us specialty and expert input while a baby is still in Cody.” states Natika Mitchell-Cowie, Women’s Health and Nursery Director.

Common newborn conditions that may benefit from a tele neonatology consult include:

• Prematurity (delivery before 36 weeks of pregnancy)
• Need for advanced resuscitation or intensive care
• Breathing problems
• Birth defects

After a tele neonatology consult, a baby may be healthy enough to remain at CRH hospital or the baby may need to be transferred to a hospital in Billings that has a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and less frequently Denver Children’s.

“This is exciting for CRH as it will enable the pediatric providers to consult highly experienced neonatologist 24/7. This service will provide access to expert advice with questions or help with stabilization of an infant while awaiting transport to a primary level 3 or 4 nicu,” stated Laurie Hipwell, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

For assistance with this story, please contact Cody Regional Health at crh@codyregionalhealth.org.

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About Cody Regional Health

Cody Regional Health (CRH) is a national leading critical care access healthcare system serving Northwest Wyoming. CRH employs and partners with over 100 providers offering a wide variety of compressive services including a walk-in clinic, Orthopedic clinic, and wound care clinic and cardiology center. Adjacent to our hospital is a 94-bed Long-Term Care Center and 16-bed chemical dependency center. CRH offer an 8-bed hospice care house and a regional cancer center. CRH abides by the Planetree philosophy as a model of health care. The Planetree model strives to enhance patient comfort by personalizing, humanizing and demystifying the health care experience. More information can be found at www.codyregionalhealth.org.