3 DOs featured on recent episode of HGTV’s ‘Home Town’

Ben and Erin Napier, the hosts of the HGTV show “Home Town,” have dedicated much of the show’s previous episodes to documenting their renovations of homes in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. But for a recent episode, they branched out and took on an area of the local hospital that was in need of some TLC.

South Central Regional Medical Center’s (SCRMC) maternity ward hadn’t been updated since the year 2000. On March 8, episode nine of season 10 of “Home Town” shared the hosts’ transformation of several rooms within the ward.

Seth Ladd, DO, Keith Winstead, DO, and Rachel Cudworth, DO, graduates of William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine, work within the maternity ward of SCRMC and appear in the episode.

Taking on this project in particular was a sentimental one for the Napiers as Erin has gone through two surgeries and two births at the center and her dad also worked in leadership there for 44 years. She shared her family photos of her experiences in the hospital over the years.

“I’m extremely invested in the success of this hospital,” said Erin Napier. “It’s an extension of what we’re already doing with homes across Laurel.”

Fixing up spaces

Dr. Cudworth said working within the episode was a great experience.

“It was exciting to be a part of such a much-needed transformation to the unit as a whole,” she said. “South Central has been a staple in the Laurel community for many years and our patients and community deserve a space that continues to evolve.”

Within the SCRMC maternity ward, there are three departments: Labor & Delivery, Postpartum and Pediatrics. With 30 rooms in total, Ben and Erin Napier took on one room from each department for the episode, providing the center with a prototype for a bigger renovation. The hosts took time and care to observe each room as working doctors and nurses used it and to get their thoughts on what the rooms needed.

“I just care very, very much about this hospital and the success of it,” said Erin Napier. “And that people have the experience that I had. I wanted labor and delivery to feel fresh, bright, clean, professional, comforting.”

Since the hosts of “Home Town” don’t specialize in renovating hospitals, they brought in experts to help them overhaul areas where “function over form” is most important—including flooring with minimal water absorption that can be easily scrubbed clean of any bacterial matter.

“This may be the most important [renovation] we’ve done for the community,” said Ben Napier.

A highlighted feature within the episode was the addition of a digital window in one of the rooms, courtesy of Skye Witherspoon and his Iowa-based company Sky Factory, known for creating these windows for hospital settings.

“It brings color and life to the room in a way that’s not overstimulating,” said Erin Napier.

Witherspoon explains that Sky Factory has done studies that show in similar hospital scenarios, the use of these windows provided about a 50% reduction in stress and a 30% reduction in anxiety.

“It’s not just taking a pretty picture and putting it up on the ceiling,” said Witherspoon. “There is real success in doing this.”

Some of Ben and Erin Napier’s other improvements included couches that unfold into a bed for the partners of new mothers in the postpartum room. In the L&D room, they added a sink with a removable nozzle to help clean newborn babies.

A home away from home

At the end, Erin and Ben Napier thanked all the doctors and nurses for letting them into their space to allow them the chance to improve it.

“This is kind of like home to me,” said Erin Napier. “My dad worked here for 44 years. Other people might not realize how the hospital becomes a home—it’s like a town within your town, and I have the greatest memories here. The way you take care of people as if they’re your family—you people are angels.”

The 43 minute-long episode is available for viewing on HGTV, Hulu and HBO Max with a subscription.

Related reading:

Tips for helping deliver babies on your OB-GYN rotation

How osteopathic care can steer patients toward better health