A new bundle of joy has entered the Rockaway Peninsula, with a state-of-the-art maternity unit at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, in Far Rockaway.
The unit is expected to officially open on Aug. 18 with a ribbon cutting on July 31. Formerly the hospitals wound care unit, the “labor and delivery suite” is housed on the ninth floor.
Being with Episcopal Health Services that runs the hospital for nearly 13 years, CEO Donald T. Morrish, an obstetrician by trade, knew that there needed to be better infrastructure and to keep maternity care on the Peninsula.
“Nearly 13 years of work and coming in to see such beautiful furnishings really hit home with me,” Morrish said.
The state-of-the-art facility will prioritize patient comfort and safety throughout the childbirth process. It will feature six labor, delivery, recovery and post-partum rooms, each equipped with a private shower.
“This design allows patients to spend their entire hospital stay in a single room, providing enhanced comfort, privacy and continuing of care throughout their birthing experience,” said Dr. Jacqueline Marecheau, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The unit will also include two Caesarean operating room suites, two recovery rooms and four triage rooms. The hospital intends to provide superior care for high-risk pregnancies, and specialized services for mothers and infants who need additional attention and support.
Morrish said that they took into consideration what the patients want, including any amenities they may have at home.
“When they have such a big life event, when they come to EHS, they know it’s going to continue here,” he said. “We knew exactly what they wanted.”
St. John’s has implemented a doula program, to provide educational support and to reduce maternal and infant mortality, as well as a centering program, which offers holistic maternal and infant health education, with the benefits of lowering the rate of pre-term births and low-weight babies.
He said that this is a “dream come true” and he can’t believe this came to fruition.
“It cost a tremendous amount of money, lots of man power hours and the team coming together and pushing it over the finish line is a real testimony for the 3,000 employees in the institution to come together,” Morrish added.
Every year, the hospital gives the family of the first baby born in the New Year a package of essential baby care items, and there will be a plethora of gifts and swag bags given to the first babies born on this unit.
“You don’t just go home with the best gift of your life, you go back with little EHS swag along with a good experience and a high-quality of care,” Morrish said.
Marecheau described the birthing suites as a “serenity like space” and is a “sanctuary to the woman in this community.”
“Each room can accommodate up to three babies, not to mention the views that it’s all encompassing,” she said. “But most of all, it’s family centered and the size of the room lends to that.”
All of the equipment is housed in the room, transitioning from labor and delivery to recovery and post-partum assistance.
The floor has no limit to how many women can give birth but if they need more space, the original maternity unit on floor seven will serve as overflow.
“We can labor an inordinate amount, but should that capacity exceed we have that option to use our overflow unit on the seventh floor,” she added.
She noted that their current workflow is laboring in the room and delivering in the operating room.
“We are able to do not that and labor people in the room and only utilize the operating rooms for what they’re designed for,” she added. “The family centeredness of this space is what’s most notable about this.”
Karen Paige, executive vice president and COO, worked hands-on during the construction process of the unit.
“I have the privilege of working alongside our facilities, the construction and design teams and everything from the planning to the construction to the design execution of the site,” Paige said. “I believe this unit represents to the community EHS’s commitment to providing best in class maternal care to the Peninsula and the surrounding towns.”
The goal is to ensure that pregnant women on the Rockaway Peninsula can get the care they need without going elsewhere.
“I know the community deserves a facility like this and I am so proud to be apart of the ‘delivery’ of this unit,” she added.
