Jaimie Shane, MSN, RNC-OB, and Wendy Newman, MSN, RNC-OB, are Hoag’s first perinatal nurse navigators. The pair is hard at work piloting the program in partnership with neonatologist Kristi Kambestad, MD, for women with high-risk pregnancies. Given the increasing need for specialized care in the community, Jaimie and Wendy focus on patients with multiple comorbidities- present in either mom or baby, or both.

Jaimie said of the program, “We work with so many wonderful doctor champions who are supporting us and helping us grow the program.”

When an OB refers a patient to Jaimie or Wendy, the two nurse navigators work together to understand each patient's case and the resources they can allocate to give patients the best opportunity for successful outcomes. These resources, supported largely by philanthropy, include access to Hoag’s Maternal Mental Health Program, virtual support groups, prenatal massage, reiki and more.

Ongoing conversations and visits in person, when possible, allow Jaimie and Wendy to get to know a patient’s history, provide critical support and collect data for social determinates of health to continually enhance services and outcomes. On especially complex cases, Jaimie and Wendy consult with a multidisciplinary team of physicians, including Dr. Kambestad, and maternal-fetal medicine specialist Michael Haydon, MD, to determine the best possible strategy for providing care and meeting patients' unique needs.

“Working with high-risk pregnant patients and specialists is a labor of love. I want to make physicians’ jobs easier and for patients to have the best possible outcome and experience. All my experience and education led me right here to where I need to be to serve this community,” said Jaimie.

“The Perinatal Nurse Navigator Program continues to grow this year, providing the most comprehensive multidisciplinary care that Hoag has to offer for women with high-risk pregnancies and their families. With the generous support of Innovators funding, we have been able to increase enrollment to 480 patients, providing them with resources and guidance through challenging times. At the same time, we continue to increase the complexity of care delivered at Hoag, enabling families in our community to access care here, where they want to be, while ensuring that patient safety is our highest priority.” - Dr. Kristi Kambestad, Neonatologist

Program Updates:

•  Enrollment in the Perinatal Nurse Navigator Program increased by 456.7% from the previous year.

•  Rates of ICU admission for placenta previa decreased by 44.4%.

•  From January–July 2023, there were 148 preadmission anesthesiology and neonatology consults, a 26.5% increase compared to the same period in 2022.

•  14 multidisciplinary conferences.

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