Before Your Stay
What you need to know before your hospital stay
Recognized for Commitment to Racial Equity in Hospital-Based Breastfeeding Support
Plymouth, Mass. – In recognition of its commitment to racial equity in hospital-based breastfeeding support, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth (BID Plymouth) has been honored with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Breastfeeding Achievement Award. BID Plymouth was one of only 15 birthing facilities in the state to receive this recognition at the recent Breastfeeding in the Bay State virtual conference sponsored by the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition.
“Attaining excellent patient outcomes for new families, which includes optimum infant nutrition, is of the utmost importance,” said Linda Burke, MSN, director of The BirthPlace at BID Plymouth. “We are honored to be acknowledged by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the efforts we have made to support breastfeeding and foster equitable care for diverse patients and families we serve.”
To support families who do not speak English or who speak English as a second language, many of whom speak Portuguese, BID Plymouth provides interpreter services in person, over the phone, or via Video Remote Interpreter Services. The care team also has a dedicated iPad earmarked for interpreter-only use to support patient communications. The hospital also paid special attention to designing its breastfeeding education materials to ensure images used reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of its patients.
“We are grateful to our exceptional care team, which puts our new parents and their babies first, working so hard to set these families up for successful infant nutrition by providing accessible education support and materials,” said Kevin Coughlin, president of BID Plymouth. “Healthy nutrition is critical for newborns, and we are thankful to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for recognizing our team’s hard work and commitment to our patients.”
The DPH area of focus in 2021 was “Improving Racial Equity in Hospital-Based Breastfeeding Support.” Examples of best practices include:
- Increasing access to standardized maternity care practices that are supportive of breastfeeding for all individuals regardless of race and/or ethnicity.
- Examining breastfeeding-related data by race and ethnicity to inform planning and ensure equitable access to services.
- Hiring breastfeeding support staff (International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants, Certified Lactation Counselors, Peer Counselors, etc.) who represent the community you serve in terms of race, ethnicity, culture, and language.
- Increasing access to breastfeeding education materials/classes in a variety of languages.
- Utilizing marketing and/or educational materials that feature families from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
BID Plymouth is also a Baby-Friendly Designated Hospital. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program that was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 1991 to promote, support, and encourage breastfeeding.
Pre-admission tests ensure that you are healthy enough for your procedure or surgery. Your care team schedules these outpatient tests in advance.
These diagnostic tests may include:
- Blood work
- Imaging
- Heart health checks
What to Expect at Pre-Admission Testing
We complete most pre-admission tests at the BID Plymouth Medical Office Building at 46 Obery Street. This building is across from the helipad on the hospital campus.
Your appointment will take about two hours to complete. Please bring a list of your medications and dosage, or the original bottles.
Here’s a list of items to consider packing for your inpatient care:
- List of all current medications you take
- Night clothes
- Reading material
- Robe
- Slippers
- Toiletries, such as hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste
Bring any essential item such as contact lenses, eye glasses, hearing aids and dentures with you. You will be asked to keep these items in a specific container to assist with loss prevention. It is important that you assist us in placing these items in the designated container when not is use.
- BID Plymouth is not responsible for lost or misplaced items.
- Don’t leave these items on your food tray.
- Store personal items in your bedside drawer.
We recommend you leave these items at home:
- Electronics
- Jewelry
- Large amounts of money
- Medications
- Valuables
BID Plymouth is not responsible for the loss or damage of any personal property kept in your room.
Before your hospital stay, a BID Plymouth patient access representative will call you to gather personal, financial and health insurance details.
On the day of your procedure, bring your Medicare/Medicaid or private health insurance card and any needed forms with you.
Use the PIDC Pavilion main entrance off Obery Street. Check in at the patient registration area to complete any other required forms.
