A 28-week pregnant patient called the office and reported vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain about every minute earlier that morning. The Triage nurse, Brandy Egnor called the patient back. The patient was not bleeding but complained of abdominal pain and contractions and had 5 contractions back to back while on the phone with the nurse and the patient was crying. The patient was in the car with her husband at the time headed toward labor and delivery at Atrium Health Cabarrus. The Triage nurse recognized that the patient lived in Stanly County and asked how far away they were from AH Cabarrus.

At this point, the patient was 35 mins from AH Cabarrus. The nurse said she “felt in her gut” that the patient would not make it to AH Cabarrus. She asked the patient how far she was from Atrium Health Stanly, they were only 5 minutes away. The nurse advised the patient’s husband to turn around and go to AH Stanly. The patient was crying and begging to go to AH Cabarrus because she did not want to go to a hospital where her doctor did not deliver. The nurse was able to calm the patient down and reassure her that she would be well taken care of at AH Stanly.

The patient agreed and upon arrival at AH Stanly she was fully dilated, breech, and the baby’s foot was at the cervix. The patient had to have an emergent c-section. The Newborn was stabilized and transported to NICU at AH Cabarrus. The patient was discharged from AH Stanly the next day. The baby boy was discharged after a 63-day stay in the NICU and is doing wonderful. The family reached out and asked to meet the nurse and asked her to meet the baby. She met the baby in the NICU and has developed a relationship with the family and actually went to the hospital when the baby was discharged home.