St. Joseph’s Hospital-North opens obstetrics unit
By Kyle LoJacono
At 7:57 a.m. Sept. 15 St. Joseph’s Hospital-North’s newest unit saw its first patient and the only thing Michael Boria III could do was cry.
That is because he was the first baby born at the hospital’s new obstetrics (OB) unit.
“We weren’t expecting we’d be the first, but we were kind of hoping,” said Michael’s mother Jill Boria, of Land O’ Lakes.
It is the first baby for the couple of Jill and Michael Boria II, 26. Michael III, who the family will call Trip, was born 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 21-inches long. Jill was in labor for five hours.
“The first thing that I thought was he looks like his daddy,” Jill said. “I’m excited to have a cute little baby boy.”
The hospital is 10 minutes from the Boria’s house and even less time from Jill’s parents’, Denise and Clay Power, home in Lutz.
“We got a call at 4:45 in the morning, so we rushed over here and because it was so close we were here in plenty of time,” Denise said. “We were here for the delivery and the staff made the experience so great.”
The hospital, 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz, opened its OB unit Aug. 25. It is also the closest OB unit to Land O’ Lakes residents like the Borias.
“Within our walls, babies will be born and families will be forever impacted by the work we do,” said Paula McGuiness, the hospital’s chief operating officer. “We look forward to extending our legacy of compassionate care to a whole new generation.”
The new unit’s services will include:
Four private labor and delivery rooms equipped with a labor bed that has multiple positions
designed for comfort during delivery.
A shower designed for use during labor.
An infant warmer that quickly distributes warmth through a recessed heater while also serving as an in-bed scale.
The labor and delivery suites are the largest of the rooms at the hospital at 418 square feet.
“You need a lot of room to deliver a baby and give the doctors and nurses room to work,” said Vicki Gose, nurse manager of the OB and mother baby units. “We can get the lighting pointed right where we need it so the doctors can see everything they’re doing.”
Gose has been in labor and delivery care for 24 years and is also the mother of two. She said she got into the field because she loves helping people start their family.
“We’re very excited to have the OB unit open,” Gose said. “We opened in February and it’s taken a little bit to get it opened, but we’re very happy it is. It wasn’t nine months of waiting for it to be done like mothers have to wait, but it seemed like a long time to us.”
Gose was at the hospital when the first baby was born.
Once the baby is delivered, the mother and child can recover together in one of 12 private suites designed to look like hotel rooms as are all suites at the facility. Kathy Myers, director of operations, said each room has a high definition TV, a full-size shower and an in-room relative area to keep the family together.
“The rooms are big and have everything needed to make the patient feel comfortable,” Myers said. “… The same nurse stays with the mother from when they come in until they leave. That just helps them stay comfortable and the nurse learns what the patient wants.”
Myers also said the mother and father get a special dinner provided by the hospital for one evening. The new mother is also given a robe and several other things including toys for the new baby during the stay.
“The family can also stay with the mother the whole time and that makes the process easier on her,” Gose said. “There is a pullout bed in every labor and delivery room.”
Mother and child are kept together as much as possible, but for short periods they are taken to the nursery. Guests can look into the area much of the time
“They’re here for a bath and little things like that,” said Donna Quinones, neonatal nurse. “People can see in most of the time, but we can frost over the glass in case a baby needs to have a minor procedure or is sick.”
There is a neonatal nurse at the facility at all times, according to Myers.
“The support of this community has made the opening a success and we value each and every person who has visited our hospital,” McGuiness said. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to provide emergency care, surgical services, interventional cardiology, imaging services and
now obstetrics to local residents who truly needed better access to health care.”
For more information on St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, call (813) 443-7000 or visit www.stjosephsnorth.com.
About St. Joseph’s Hospital-North
43,000 patients expected in 2010
28,000 emergency room visits expected in 2010
108 private suites
500 employees
1,000 free parking spaces
Cost of more than $225 million to build
St. Joseph’s Hospital-North will open its own imaging in early 2011.
BayCare Outpatient Imaging Center will be a full-service outpatient imaging center being built just east of the hospital, 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz, in front of Kohl’s.
“It will offer services such as high-field MRI, multi-slice CT scans, digital
mammography, digital X-rays and bone density scanning,” said hospital spokeswoman Jacqueline Farruggio.
