Archbold Medical Center| Archives Magazine | Spring 2018

Emily Dukes, RN 6 ARCHBOLD MEDICAL CENTER WHEN CONSIDERING WHERE to deliver their baby, expecting parents want a warm, caring, family-focused maternity center and the expertise and quality of care that can give them peace of mind. Tom and Charlotte Hodges chose Archbold’s Maternity Center to deliver both of their children. And to this day, they are certain they made the right choice. The Hodges welcomed their eldest, a baby boy by the name of Hall, a little over two years ago. That’s when they met “Hall’s angel,” a name the family has given to Archbold postpartum nurse Emily Dukes, RN. While taking care of newborn Hall, Dukes noticed some symptoms that just didn’t seem quite right. She immediately contacted family physician Calvin Reams, MD, who confirmed Dukes’ suspicion. Foresight moves to quick action Hall was born with a condition at birth that required surgery. Dukes followed her instincts and acted quickly with Dr. Reams to put a plan in motion before Tom and Charlotte even knew there was any- thing wrong. “I’ll be forever grateful to Emily for that,” said Charlotte. “She had the foresight to wait until they had a good idea of what was going on and what we needed to do before alarming my husband and me.” Dukes and Dr. Reams contacted Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and immedi- ately started making arrangements to get Hall the help he needed. “I remember panicking about what our next step would be,” said Charlotte. “What did I need to do? Who did we need to contact? But they handled everything, and I was discharged so I could be with my son.” Hall is now a rambunctious, sweet-spirited 2-year-old boy. And in October 2017, he was pro- moted to big brother when the family welcomed baby girl Anne Marie. “The Archbold labor and delivery team was amazing during both of our experiences,” said Charlotte. “I was in great hands. They walked me through every step of the process both times. I was so lucky to have such amazing nurses. They truly made me feel at ease.” And the family-centered care that the Family-focused maternity care AND EXPERTISE THAT PROVIDES PEACE OF MIND