June 01, 2002

A Well-Conceived BirthCenter

Genesis' Expanded Fifth Floor Delivers The Comforts Of Home

Over the past 132 years, Genesis Medical Center and its predecessors, St. Luke's and Mercy Hospitals, have delivered many generations of families. But never before have Quad City newborns had a better place to be born.

Thanks to a $3.2 million renovation and expansion, today's "special deliveries" arrive at a BirthCenter on Genesis' East campus that offers the warm ambiance of home; the amenities of a hotel; and technology and tender-loving care from medical experts who encourage families to take an active role in the birthing process. Best of all, attractively decorated and spacious rooms allow families to bond with their baby in privacy and comfort.

"Having a new baby is a celebration for the entire family," says Deb Renner, Manager of Genesis' BirthCenter and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. "Our new BirthCenter offers a unique and comforting environment that not only meets the clinical needs of moms and babies, but allows families to share the experience in a comfortable, more intimate setting."

Serenity is evident the minute the elevators open to the 5th floor BirthCenter, where an inviting family waiting area welcomes visitors with soft lighting, attractive wood, comfortable furniture and a water wall that emits the soothing sounds of trickling water. But it's the all-private, larger patient rooms that win the most accolades from mothers.

Wood floors, lots of natural lighting, rocking chairs, wood armoires with TVs and VCRs, bedspreads and attractive window treatments make them seem more like a bedroom at home than a hospital room. Just like a hotel, private bathrooms have whirlpool tubs and blow dryers and lighting that compliments a new mother's complexion. Other amenities in the rooms can range from C.D. players; daybeds on which a support person can sleep; recliners; ample storage; and medical gas hookups "hidden" behind family- friendly pictures. Refrigerators in the rooms enable families to bring in their own refreshments. An enhanced infant security system also provides parents and families with piece of mind. The $112,000 system was purchased with proceeds from the 1999 Genesis Health Services Foundation Gala.

"We have many techniques to enable moms to control their environment so they can relax," says Joan McCann, the BirthCenter's Assistant Manager. "All rooms have lighting that can be adjusted. Some like it dim; others like it brighter. Some just like to be able to calm their environment down with lighting and music - all techniques that they can do to take a more active role during labor."

With the expansion, there are special rooms for outpatient clinic and antepartum stays, and an L.D.R.P. option for mothers who want to labor, deliver, recover and have their postpartum stay all in the same room, Renner says. The use of water through hydrotherapy provides comfort during labor and is offered several ways in the new BirthCenter. Options include total immersion hydrotherapy, whirlpool tubs and showers.

Should the need for a Cesarean delivery arise, the BirthCenter has two updated surgical suites nearby. And although few prospective parents expect to need the services of an intensive care nursery, they can find comfort that Genesis' newly constructed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, offers an ideal environment for premature or acutely ill infants.

The public is invited to a special open house reception to celebrate the birth of our new, state-of-the-art BirthCenter. The reception is Sunday, June 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Genesis Medical Center's East campus, Fifth Floor, 1227 East Rusholme Street, Davenport.

For More Information, Read The Stories Below:

BirthCenter - Renovation Facts
BirthCenter - Then And Now
A New NICU