Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee this week opened its new 36,000-square-foot labor and delivery unit.
The $16 million expansion project included 12 labor and delivery rooms with hydrotherapy tubs, 10 antepartum rooms, two recovery suites with private bathrooms, four triage rooms and updated surgical suites for multiple births and C-sections.
The unit, located on the second floor of the hospital’s Women’s Medical Center, has additional space for patient and family support and clinical education.
“Our goal for this project was to continue Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s strong legacy of excellence in women’s services by enhancing our physical environment to meet the needs of mothers and their growing families,” said Kelly Elkins, president of Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital. “We believe that this new unit and our dedicated care teams will deliver on that commitment by providing compassionate, personalized care that begins with expectant mothers and the birth of their children and continues throughout life’s journey.”
Support for the project came from Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Foundation. Ascension Wisconsin providers were involved with designing the new unit to integrate the latest clinical practice guidelines, the health system said. Patient focus groups also helped inform the plans.
It is the second phase of a larger project to update the Women’s Medical Center at 2323 N. Lake Dr. In 2016, the health system completed a renovation of the post-partum unit of the Women’s Medical Center.
In the future, Ascension plans expand the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and postpartum services.
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