PROVIDENCE, R.I., July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Care New England Health System members Butler Hospital and Women & Infants Hospital, in Providence, Rhode Island, were both recognized by U.S. News & World Report magazine's "2004 America's Best Hospitals" survey. They were the only hospitals in the state to earn this honor.
Butler Hospital earned a spot on the list of the top 30 Psychiatric Centers in the United States for the second year in a row, based on its impeccable reputation for psychiatric care, moving up one notch higher in the listings. Women & Infants ranked among the top gynecology hospitals for the third time, earning a slot alongside internationally recognized institutions such as Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Mayo Clinic. The complete survey lists 203 top medical centers chosen from 3,003 hospitals across the U.S. in 17 areas of expertise. The complete report is available online at http://www.usnews.com/ and in the July 12, 2004 printed edition.
"This recognition truly is a testament to the skills and dedication of our entire staff," commented Constance A. Howes, president and chief executive officer of Women & Infants. "For well more than a century, Women & Infants has been recognized as a leading provider of obstetric care. Maintaining our stature as one of America's Best Hospitals in gynecology recognizes Women & Infants' full breadth of services in areas such as reproductive endocrinology and gynecologic oncology."
Patricia R. Recupero, J.D., M.D., president of Butler Hospital also credits the tireless team of employees. "We are thrilled that Butler Hospital is listed among America's top psychiatric hospitals for the second year in a row," she says "This honor is a real tribute to our whole staff who provide treatment for our patients in an atmosphere of dignity and respect everyday."
The only private, nonprofit psychiatric facility treating children, adolescents and adults, Butler Hospital just opened a new, state-of-the-art treatment center for older people with Alzheimer's disease, memory disorders, and related behavioral problems including depression and anxiety disorders. Later this year, the hospital will be renovating its acclaimed treatment units for children and adolescents.
Affiliated with Brown Medical School, the hospital is engaged in numerous exciting research studies, such as the Memory Disorders Research Program, aimed at understanding and treating memory problems in the aging population; a new series of studies on the impact of aerobic exercise on those recovering from alcohol or drug addiction; research on deep brain stimulation for severe disorders that have been unresponsive to other forms of treatment; body dysmorphic disorder (BDD); developing a new Alzheimer's research training program; and helping people with impulse control disorders including gambling and compulsive shopping. The hospital's mood disorders research program just received a $1 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study the relationship of childhood trauma to depression and anxiety disorders in adulthood.
This is one in a series of prestigious honors for Women & Infants as well. Recognizing the leadership role the hospital has taken in women's health care, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services named Brown University and Women & Infants a National Center of Excellence (CoE) in Women's Health. The CoE uses a systems approach to improving women's health by collaborating across diverse medical school departments, several hospitals throughout the state, health care institutions, community-based organizations, and local, regional and national alliances.
As the premier health resource in the region for newborn children and women of all ages, Women & Infants has the tenth largest obstetrical service in the country, with more than 9,700 deliveries last year, and serves as the regional perinatal center for southeastern New England.
A vital component in the education and training of tomorrow's caregivers, Women & Infants is the primary teaching affiliate in obstetrics, gynecology and newborn pediatrics for Brown Medical School. Exemplifying our commitment to education and research, this year saw the announcement that Women & Infants has been awarded one of the largest grants in our nearly 120-year institutional history. The five-year, nearly $9 million Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant was awarded from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under the leadership of Women & Infants' pediatrician-in-chief, James F. Padbury, MD, and the hospital's Department of Pediatrics, the "COBRE for Perinatal Biology" recognizes Women & Infants' researchers who are studying heart and lung development and supports their career development.
Founded in 1884 as the Providence Lying-In Hospital, today nearly 70 percent of all newborns in Rhode Island are delivered at Women & Infants, where women can choose to give birth either in one of 19 private labor/delivery/recovery (LDR) rooms or in the home-like setting of the Alternative Birthing Center (ABC), one of only three such centers in New England. Women & Infants' 60-bed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is the largest in southeastern New England, with approximately 1,275 high-risk infants admitted each year, approximately 14 percent of whom were transferred from area hospitals.
Care New England Health System is comprised of five leading health care providers that have a long-standing involvement and reputation in community health, teaching and research. Member organizations of Care New England include Butler Hospital, Kent Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital, Care New England Home Health, and Care New England Wellness Centers. Together, these organizations offer a comprehensive array of services focused on meeting the health care needs of our patients and communities. And we continue to develop innovative services to improve the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve.
Care New England Health SystemCONTACT: Mary Ingram Schatz, +1-773-955-2126, mary@ingramschatz.com, orAmy Blustein, +1-401-453-7926, ablustei@wihri.org, or James Hallan,+1-401-455-6264, jhallan@butler.org
