LAKEPORT, Calif. – Nestled in the rural mountains of Lake County sits an unexpected gem: a cocoon of care for expecting mothers and newborn babies.

Despite its seemingly remote location, Sutter Lakeside Hospital offers top perinatal care, as well as access to neonatologists who specialize in complex or high-risk infant diagnoses.

Feeding into the Family Birth Center pipeline is Sutter Lakeside Community Clinic’s three ob-gyns, and a nurse practitioner who specializes in women’s health.

All four providers serve Sutter Lakeside Hospital’s Family Birth Center, and combined deliver about half of all babies born in Lake County.

“Staffing a full panel of ob-gyn providers ensures prenatal access to women as soon as they need it,” said Director of Clinics Leeann Hadgis, RN. “Our close proximity to the hospital also allows providers to check in on their patients, be available for surgery and provide 24/7 coverage to our Family Birth Center.”

A new addition

Longstanding providers include Derrick Barnes, MD, Jeannie Pflum, DO, and Lorena Watson, NP. The clinic and Family Birth Center also recently welcomed Bryan Murphy, MD.

“Dr. Murphy joined our talented team of providers from a rural facility in North Carolina,” said Hadgis. “He’s a great addition, and enjoys practicing in a close knit community.”

“I decided to pursue medicine because I love taking care of people,” said Murphy. “Life is a gift, and Ob-Gyn is a specialty that allows you to deal with all aspects: internal medicine, surgery, bringing life into the world.”

After a decade of experience, Murphy finds fulfillment in rural practice.

“Rural areas are in great need of doctors. I want to be part of meeting that need.”

Drs. Murphy, Barnes and Pflum are all board certified in obstetrics and gynecology; Watson is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner who specializes in women’s care, labor and delivery, and holds additional certifications as a lactation specialist, childbirth educator and Spanish medical translator.

Clinical excellence close to home

While oftentimes the doctor-patient relationship begins in the clinic, some patients’ first experience with their delivering physician is in the Birth Center.

Sutter Lakeside Hospital boasts excellent clinical care; recently the California Health and Human Services Agency recognized SLH for low cesarean section (C-section) birth rates. The most recently available data shows that Sutter Lakeside Hospital’s C-section rate is nearly 4 percent lower than the national goal of 23.9 percent.

“Our bedside nursing staff are trained to encourage labor positions and strategies known to support the reduction of primary C-section,” said Family Birth Center Manager Jackie Rad, RN, MSN. “We are honored by the Health and Human Services recognition, but the best reward is helping mothers deliver healthy babies.”

In the event that a delivery does not go as expected, Sutter Lakeside’s team can instantly connect with a neonatologist at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital. The telemedicine program, funded by philanthropy, debuted last year.

“We can’t emphasize enough the importance of access to high level specialists during the first hours and days of a baby’s life,” said Rad. “A conference with a neonatologist, who specializes in newborns, can help determine which level of a care an infant requires.”

The Birth Center’s facilities match its quality; recently the unit underwent a remodel. Each patient labors and delivers in a private, spacious room equipped with sleeping accommodations for family members, a private bathroom with a shower or shower-tub and room service dining options.

For more information or to schedule a tour, call the Family Birth Center at 707-262-5087.