Thundermist, W&I enter into partnership

WOONSOCKET – Expecting mothers receiving care at Thundermist Health Center, instead of delivering their newborns at Landmark Medical Center, will now have coverage to deliver their newborns at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, the result of a new partnership begun on Dec. 12 between the community health center and the hospital.
In addition, Women & Infants will now provide Thundermist patients with women’s surgeries and gynecological and obstetrical care through its new network of 24 private OB-GYN practices it recently purchased.
“Our top priority has always been to provide our patients with the best possible care available,” said Charles Jones, the president and CEO of Thundermist. “As New England’s premier hospital for women and newborns, Women & Infants allows us to meet that high standard.” All other collaborations between Thundermist and Landmark are unaffected by this change, Jones said.
In the immediate aftermath of the new partnership, Thundermist contacted all of its expectant mothers in their third trimester, according to Jones.
“The patients that we’ve spoken with have been extremely supportive of the new relationship with Women & Infants,” Jones said. “Many said that they were considering transferring out so that they could deliver their children at Women & Infants. One patient was so happy about the change she started hugging our nurse manager, saying, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’”
Jones said that in cases where Thundemist patients did not have transportation to Women & Infants in Providence from Woonsocket, Thundermist would provide taxi cab vouchers, picking up the tab for transportation.
After a birth, new mothers and their children who don’t have transportation home are provided with rides in a hospital van from Women & Infants, as part of the hospital’s ongoing care, Jones said.