PINEHURST—FirstHealth of the Carolinas is excited to announce the introduction of a new obstetrics (OB) hospitalist program designed to enhance the care and support provided to laboring moms at Moore Regional Hospital.
The OB/GYN hospitalists will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week beginning March 1, 2024, and will be led by OB/GYN physician Tamara Michelle Meekins, M.D.
Before joining Moore Regional, Dr. Meekins served as an OB physician for eight years in the Charlotte area. She received her medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical College of Georgia-Augusta University.
Also joining the OB/GYN hospitalist team is Ryan Nance, D.O. Dr. Nance is a board-certified OB/GYN who currently cares for patients at Pinehurst Surgical Clinic. He will transition to the OB hospitalist program on March 1. Pinehurst Surgical Clinic will contact Dr. Nance’s patients in the coming weeks with additional information and support to facilitate a smooth transition of care.
Dr. Nance earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Va.
OB/GYN providers at Southern Pines Women’s Health Center will continue to be at the forefront of delivering babies at Moore Regional, but the OB hospitalist program adds an additional layer of care and availability, especially for those without a hospital-based OB/GYN.
“The new OB/GYN hospitalist program will serve as a valuable support for our team of providers,” said Pamela Kantorowski, M.D., OB/GYN with Southern Pines Women’s Health Center. “Having a dedicated team of hospitalists available around the clock enhances our ability to care for patients and reinforces our collaborative approach to obstetrical care and safeguarding the precious moments of childbirth.”
This will reinforce the 24/7 dedicated obstetrical and gynecological care already provided by SPWHC for many years.
OB/GYN hospitalists will be on standby, ready to step in during unforeseen circumstances or emergencies, ensuring that patients receive the highest standard of care.
“Our community has experienced rapid growth in recent years, especially among young families,” said Dan Barnes, D.O., president of FirstHealth Physician Group. “The development of the OB/GYN hospitalist program underscores our unwavering dedication to the health and safety of our community and to providing the highest quality care to women and children in the Sandhills.”
About the FirstHealth Hospitalist Program
The FirstHealth Hospitalist Service was established in 2003. The OB hospitalist program is an extension of this service. Hospitalists are employed by FirstHealth Physician Group. In 2013, the FirstHealth Hospitalist Service expanded by adding pediatricians to the program who are responsible for the in-hospital care of infants in Moore Regional’s newborn nursery and pediatric patients being cared for in the inpatient pediatric unit.
A year later, the program expanded again, this time with the addition of neurohospitalists to the service. Neurohospitalists are hospital-based neurology physicians who specialize in the care of patients with neurological conditions such as stroke and other diseases of the nervous system.
In 2016, intensivists, also known as critical care providers, were added to the FirstHealth Hospitalist Service. Intensivists specialize in the care of critically ill patients, most often in the intensive care unit.
