Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital opened the first floor of its new Women’s Center last week and also delivered its first baby.
The first patients and their families arrived Dec. 16 at the hospital building, 911 Sunset Drive. On the morning of Dec. 18, the first baby was born on the new Maternal/Child Unit. According to the hospital, Emma San Romon arrived at 2:41 am to parents Angelica and Gabriel San Romon. Dr. Ralph Armstrong and Dr. Benedict Carota were on hand to assist with her delivery, according to a hospital statement. Angelica is the daughter of Hazel Hawkins Hospital employee Delphina Delreal.
The new “Maternal/Child department in the Women’s Center includes 13 birthing suites, hotel-like amenities, an operating suite and recovery room for C-sections, two nursing stations, a newborn nursery, and a two-story atrium lobby with a waiting area, according to the original announcement.
According to the statement:
Hazel Hawkins is pleased to offer hotel-like amenities for new moms. Patients receive a deluxe terry cloth robe and slippers to keep, a personal hygiene toiletries kit, plush terry cloth towels in the bathroom, wall mounted hair dryers in all rooms, wi-fi access, complimentary coffee service, a special gourmet dinner, and free on-call massage services.
All newborns will “room in” with their mothers. A baby will only be in the nursery if they are in need of additional medical care or if Mom needs to take a shower or a nap and cannot give her full attention to the infant and there is no other family member available to keep an eye on the infant. Then, the nurses will keep the infant in the nursery where they can monitor them until Mom is available.
Two nurses stations will allow staff to be readily available and to monitor all activity on the unit. A newborn nursery is available if needed. This unit is designed to be the facility of choice for mother-baby care in the region.
As infant security is always of utmost importance to the Hospital. A Hugs® infant protection system has been installed to safeguard infants from the threat of abduction. Each infant wears a comfortable and unobtrusive Hugs tag attached by the means of a soft tamper-proof strap around his or her ankle. The computer console displays floor plans of the facility showing tag locations with monitored areas and doors indicated. Alarms are generated if the strap is cut or tampered with, if the infant is moved to an unauthorized zone, or if the tag’s signal is no longer detected.
Construction of the 42,000 square foot Women’s Center is majority funded by Measure L, a property bond passed with an overwhelming 77% approval rate by San Benito County voters in 2005. Fundraising continues to help finance equipment and other amenities for the Center. The second floor of the Center, slated for a spring 2014 opening, will house women’s diagnostic imaging services. “Like” the Hospital’s Facebook page to keep up-to-date on the latest information at Hazel Hawkins and the new Women’s Center.
