The safety of our patients is of utmost importance to Riley Park Maternity Clinic and all of Calgary Foothills PCN.

Our maternity patients deliver at Foothills Medical Centre (hospital). Some patients have asked questions about delivering their babies at the hospital as they have heard there are units with COVID-19 outbreaks.

Physicians and staff at Riley Park Maternity Clinic are taking every precaution to ensure your safety both at the clinic and the hospital. We have been very proactive in our protocols to keep our patients, their families and our staff safe in the clinic and at the hospital.

COVID-19 safety

For the safety of everyone, please continue to answer the COVID-19 screening questions at the clinic and at the hospital truthfully. We realize there are many pregnancy symptoms that are similar to the COVID -19 symptom list and are dedicated to providing you the care you need. We have processes in place to ensure you will receive care even if you have symptoms. Your honesty protects everyone.

While at the hospital

At the hospital, enhanced screening of patients, visitors and staff has been implemented, as well as augmented cleaning processes. All staff members continue to adhere to strict hand washing protocols and are using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times. We also continue to ask that all patients and their support persons do the same.

Until further notice, Foothills Medical Centre (hospital) is restricting visitors to those deemed essential. At the Labour and Delivery ward that means that you can have one support person with you at all times and that person must remain the same throughout your time in hospital. Finally, while a typical stay on our post-partum unit is 24-48 hours we are evaluating every patient on a case-by-case basis to ensure that they are discharged as soon as it is safe to do so.

Ongoing communication

With all of the protocols in place our Labour and Delivery unit is as safe as any other unit in the city. We remain in close contact with our obstetrical and hospital site leaders. There has been no recommendation made to re-direct our patients to other sites as we want to maintain appropriate and safe levels of staffing for the numbers of patients delivering at each site.

Further support

We appreciate what a challenging time this is to be pregnant and that COVID-19 outbreaks may understandably heighten anxiety and stress for some. We encourage you to reach out during your prenatal visits and speak with your healthcare providers about any concerns you may have. We have many resources available in the clinic to help with coping during these turbulent times. We’d like to also take this opportunity to remind you of the following resources available to you.

Other resources for support include: