Saint John's New Women's Health Center to Offer Latest in Labor & Delivery Services

QUESTION: When is the new Women’s Health Center scheduled to open at Saint John’s and will it offer special labor & delivery services?

ANSWER: The highly anticipated Women’s Health Center at Saint John’s is part of the health center’s new four-story Inpatient Pavilion, now under construction and scheduled to open this year. Designed as an all-in-one resource covering a wide range of women’s health needs, the Women’s Health Center places special emphasis on the labor and delivery services for which Saint John’s is renowned.

One of the major features of the center, which comprises the entire fourth floor of the Inpatient Pavilion, is the Perinatal Center. The Perinatal Center is devoted to the special care of pregnant women and the safe delivery of their babies. It includes 12 multi-purpose patient rooms, known as the Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Post-Partum Rooms, which will be used for normal deliveries where expectant mothers can experience labor, delivery, recovery and post-partum all in a single room.

Another outstanding feature is the 10-bed Women’s Health Services Unit, which will provide special care for pregnant women at higher risk before, during and after delivery. Four of the 10 patient care rooms are dedicated to high-risk ante-partum patients. The remainder is devoted to the recovery of women with scheduled Cesarean sections.

Additional features of the Women’s Health Center are two Cesarean-Section Delivery Rooms, the Newborn Nursery, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Breast Feeding Room and a Maternal Health Resource Center.

Women at risk during pregnancy or for delivery complications are referred to Perinatology Services at approximately 20 weeks of pregnancy. Women requiring this extra level of supervision during pregnancy will receive their care in special exam rooms and labor-monitoring rooms.

In addition, the Perinatal Center offers a comfortable Family Waiting Room with a small kitchenette and a Patient Lounge for larger family visits, allowing for family and friends to gather together and enjoy special amenities. There are also conference rooms and classrooms for patient education and staff training. The Perinatal Center is located adjacent to the Newborn Nursery and Viewing Areas, as well as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), for added convenience.

To enhance patient care and comfort, a parent’s apartment and sleep rooms are available, and all patient rooms are located on the exterior of the building to provide natural light and views of the Saint John’s Gardens. Each room is designed as a private room for one patient, and every room is large enough to house the most advanced patient monitoring systems, which can be brought to the bedside as needed.

In addition, each room has its own private bathroom and features an extra-long window seat that may be used for overnight stays by a visiting family member. Flat screen televisions are wall-mounted and can used jointly for television viewing and Internet access.

Multiple nurse stations are located at strategic points throughout the center to ensure optimum staffing and access for each patient room. The nurse stations also are designed with lowered-profile counters to make it easier for patients to communicate with members of the nursing staff.

For more information about the new Women’s Health Center at Saint John’s, contact Saint John’s at 310-829-8731 or visit Saint John’s website at http://www.stjohns.org