Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital and one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns, has filed a Certificate of Need (CON) application with the Rhode Island Department of Health for its proposal, “Women & Infants Hospital Birth Center Renovation.”
As one of the largest stand-alone obstetrical services in the country, Women & Infants delivered more than 8,800 babies last year. Since the current space was designed in 1986, there have been dramatic changes in the hospital’s patient population, care models and the introduction of new technologies. Women & Infants has seen a sizable increase in patients with significant chronic illness who require specialized monitoring and care; has moved to an electronic medical records system; and has instituted a team-based model of care that includes patients and families in all aspects of care.
“As a specialty hospital with a unique focus, Women & Infants is a well-cherished jewel, providing incomparable care to the women and newborns of our region. Each and every day, I am honored by the women and families who choose to share with us some of the most precious moments of their lives – the delivery of a child. But our physical environment in labor and delivery no longer provides the optimal support for today’s modern birth approach,” said Mark R. Marcantano, president and chief operating officer of Women & Infants Hospital. “It’s time for our physical environment in labor and delivery to match the incredible level of clinical care provided here.”
Women & Infants’ Labor and Delivery Suite is comprised of 19 private labor/delivery/recovery rooms, three dedicated Cesarean birth rooms and a recovery area, and an Alternative Birthing Center that offers a high-touch, home-like, midwife-led birthing experience for low-risk births. This project will consist of renovating all 20 labor rooms and increasing the room size from 220 square feet to the current guidelines of 400 square feet with a private bathroom and shower in each room.
The project design will be based around a universal room that exceeds the needs for all levels of patient and family centered care. The renovation will integrate the newest technologies and include upgrades to the electrical, HVAC, plumbing and medical gasses systems.
The renovation, with a projected cost of approximately $18.6 million, is scheduled to be completed in October 2018 will be done in phases over 14 to 16 months in order to minimize any disruption to existing service.
“Having a baby is a wonderful experience for a family,” said James A. O’Brien, MD, director of inpatient obstetrics and an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. “We want to provide the highest level of complex care when necessary, but also provide a warm, personal and engaging experience, with hidden technology that is only used as needed.”
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