General Physician, PC and Oishei Children’s Hospital Partnership
Helps Women with High-Risk Pregnancies 

Feb. 8 – General Physician, PC is pleased to announce a new partnership with Oishei Children’s Hospital that will offer wider access to patient services for high-risk pregnant women and their babies. Western New York’s second location of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center opened January 19, 2021, at 1020 Youngs Road in Williamsville.

Led by Dr. Paul Ogburn, the head of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Oishei Children’s Hospital and a professor at UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine, the Center will treat high-risk patients during their pregnancies, providing a level of specialized care that is rare both locally and across the nation.

Maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialists, also called perinatologists, are board-certified obstetricians who have been specifically trained in diagnosing, treating, and managing high-risk pregnancies, providing specialty care for underlying medical concerns or past outcomes that could complicate pregnancy, from pre-conception through delivery. As specialists within the field of obstetrics, they conduct prenatal tests, provide treatments, and perform surgeries. They can act as a consultant during lower-risk pregnancies and as the primary obstetrician in especially high-risk pregnancies. After birth, they may work closely with pediatricians or neonatologists.

“The Northtowns Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center will increase the availability and convenience of expert care for women with complications or problems in their pregnancies,” says Dr. Ogburn. “This source of timely and quality perinatal care is an extension of the Regional Perinatal Center System of Western New York and maintains close coordination with the other members of this system, including Oishei Children’s Hospital, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, and all the hospitals and providers of obstetric care in western New York.”

Like the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center located at Oishei Children’s Hospital on the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus, the Northtowns location will be devoted to women expecting high-risk concerns associated with their pregnancies. This will include providing prenatal care for the mother and managing any existing health problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure; supporting women who develop complications during pregnancy or childbirth; and consulting with Western New York’s OB-GYN physicians, co-managing additional necessary treatment with the high-risk patient’s primary obstetrician, who will manage the pregnancy and delivery.

Both Maternal-Fetal Medicine Centers use state-of-the-art equipment to help the team provide quality care to their patients. “We know that having a high-risk pregnancy, or delivering a baby that may need specialized care, can turn what should be a joyous time into one that is stress-filled,” says Allegra Jaros, president of Oishei Children’s Hospital. “But it is our hope that this collaboration and the new Northtowns Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center will alleviate that stress for patients and families throughout Western New York by bringing together the area’s leading specialists and latest technology to serve those in our community who are in need of these critical services. Oishei Children’s Hospital is proud to partner with General Physician, PC to be regional leaders in women’s and children’s services.”

General Physician, PC’s president, Darryl Ernst, says “This program represents a significant community partnership between General Physician, Kaleida Health, and Women’s Health Services at Oishei Children’s Hospital and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in support of the regional perinatal system. We look forward to serving as a trusted partner with the Obstetrics and Gynecology physician community, as well as collaborating with UB Medical School’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the education of today’s medical students and residents.”

“The Northtowns Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center represents a synergistic collaboration that will increase access and provide state-of-the-art care for pregnant women in our region,” agrees Dr. Sarah L. Berga, professor and chair of the UB Medical School Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology andMedical Director of OBGYN & Women’s Health Program Development at Kaleida Health.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment with the Northtowns Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center, call (716) 632-8124.