Submitted by The Center for Native Health
SYLVA, N.C. – A new partnership between The Center for Native Health (CNH) and Harris Regional Hospital is making recovery a little easier for mothers delivering in Harris’s New Generations Family Birth Center.
Shown, left to right, are Brandi Lambert, Kristina Hyatt, Lori Sanders, Savannah Hicks Baylon, and Emily Ray. (Photo courtesy of The Center for Native Health)
The Center for Native Health recently donated two HALO Bassinests to the hospital’s maternity unit, providing enhanced comfort, safety, and accessibility for new moms in the critical hours and days following a delivery, especially a C-section.
Recovering from a cesarean birth can make it challenging for mothers to sit up, bend, or lift their newborns from standard hospital bassinets. The HALO Bassinest is designed to swivel and lower toward the mother’s bedside, allowing moms to reach their babies without straining abdominal muscles or disrupting surgical recovery.
Harris Regional Hospital Women and Children’s Services leadership, Savannah Hicks Baylon, director, and Emily Ray, manager, say the new bassinets will be especially beneficial during nighttime care and early breastfeeding attempts, when mobility is most limited. By bringing the baby closer to the bedside, the bassinet promotes skin-to-skin contact, easier feeding access, and safer sleep practices.
The donation reflects a shared commitment between The Center for Native Health and the hospital to prioritize maternal health, postpartum recovery, and family-centered care. Both organizations hope this collaboration is the first of many initiatives supporting families in the community.
CNH launched its first doula cohort in 2025 under the leadership of Relational Health Director Kristina Hyatt to support the creation of an Indigenous Doula Workforce. Inaugural CNH Doula Cohort members are Lori Sanders, Brandi Lambert, and Brittany Hampton.
