Please formally welcome Odessa Regional Medical Center, Odessa, TX to the OBHG family! We kicked off a full-time Type A OBED in early April, our 10th program to start in 2020. Odessa Regional has received great publicity from the launch of this new partnership, including articles on CBS7.com and in the Odessa American.
Amidst the pandemic, the hospital considered putting off the program. Here is a quote from OBHG Site Director and OB Hospitalist Dr. James Van Riper in the Odessa American:
“We really thought about delaying it until this blew over, but the main concern was just some of the local OB-GYNs got sick or something with the coronavirus. It’s kind of like a backup. … Someone’s always there for the patients, but we thought it would be a good thing to start so if some of us did need to be quarantined or something, someone’s always going to be there for our patients. Even patients who don’t have a physician, someone’s there 24 hours a day in labor and delivery to take care of them so it really helps us out a lot better in private practice.”
The hospitalist team at Odessa Regional Medical Center, includes (left to right): Jami Walker, Senior Director of Operations, Dr. Norman Harris and Dr. Ernesto Rhodes. Not pictured: Dr. Jennifer Boyle, Dr. Leslie Chupp, Dr. Jeffrey Manley, Dr. Mary Grace Bridges, Dr. Ayodele Olowookere and Dr. James Van Riper. Dr. Van Riper will serve as Site Director for this program.
We are looking forward to partnering with hospital staff and community OB/GYNs to elevate women’s healthcare in Odessa!