IRVINE, CALIF., December 9, 2020 --- Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian today announced the opening of the
Fudge Family Birthing Suites at Hoag Hospital Irvine which reimagines pregnancy, delivery and recovery
for modern families -- with private birthing suites, a perinatal VR guided
program, and a calming outdoor walking garden.
Already a leader in
women’s health, with the most prestigious nursing credentials in the nation and the most
trusted maternity staff in Orange County, Hoag has listened to the needs
and desires of today’s new mothers in designing 12 birthing suites
in Irvine that are unlike anything else available in a hospital setting.
The suites include a number of enhancements to a traditional maternity
model including access to midwives, birth plan preferences and single
room maternity care. Moms-to-be will experience labor, delivery and the
first precious moments with their newborns all in the same hospital room.
“In designing these suites, we listened to women at all stages of
the birthing journey and created an ideal set of services to meet their
needs and exceed their expectations. The suites are designed by women
for women to nurture them through this incredible moment, said
Allyson Brooks, M.D., Ginny Ueberroth Executive Medical Director Endowed
Chair and Chief Quality Officer, Hoag Women’s Health Institute. “These suites represent a paradigm shift in maternity care that is
being driven by a generation of new moms. We are proud of what they have
helped us create.”
An extension of the world-renowned maternity services at the Newport Beach
campus of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, the new Fudge Family Birthing
Suites combines the reassurance of a Hoag delivery with a family-centered
design and home-like amenities. The suites were named in honor of Orange
County philanthropist Gary Fudge, who is passionate about using his philanthropy
to elevate the health care experience.
Accommodating evolving trends in maternity care in Irvine, one of the nation's
fastest-growing communities, the new suites offer the ability to labor,
deliver and recover in the same room, as well as two C-section operating
rooms and a nursery staffed 24/7 by an expert team including OB/GYN hospitalists,
certified nurse midwives and board-certified anesthesiologists and neonatologists.
Located on the first floor of the hospital, the Fudge Family Birthing
Suites offers an adjacent private outdoor walking garden to serve as a
calming influence on expectant mothers.
“We are really excited to invite the midwifery model of care into
the birthing suites,” said Kimberly Tillotson, C.N.M., director
of the birthing suites and OB education at Hoag. “Certified nurse
midwives provide a wide range of primary health services, and many patients
today are looking for the kind of wellness education, care and counseling
that they deliver.”
Hoag has also co-developed
NurtureVR, a virtual reality program designed by Dr. Brooks and by
neurosurgeon Robert G. Louis, M.D., program director of the skull base and pituitary tumor program at Pickup
Family Neurosciences Institute and Hoag Empower360 Endowed Chair for Skull
Base and Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, in partnership with
BehaVR. NurtureVR harnesses the latest research in virtual reality’s positive
effects on education and empowerment, behavioral health, and pain management.
NurtureVR provides access to 14 weeks’ worth of perinatal education,
mindfulness and meditation capabilities and other immersive experiences
to support expectant mothers. After the baby is born, the program continues
for an additional eight weeks, with topics that cover maternal-baby bonding,
partner intimacy, stress, hormonal and emotional changes. Building on
decades of research, this unique, personalized program nurtures mothers’
relationships with their babies, lowers stress and promotes wellbeing.
“Today’s families have a clear idea of what they want from
their birthing experience, and we are excited to be able to provide safe,
comfortable and nurturing environments for their momentous and life changing
event,” Dr. Brooks said. “Integrating state-of-the-art medical
advances into a calming environment will create a birthing experience
that is like no other. This is particularly true when it comes to our
NurtureVR program. Studies show that the use of virtual reality during
labor empowers a woman during her birthing experience, reduces the experience
of pain and may also lessen the amount of pain medication needed during
delivery.”
Hoag officials said the 31,600-square-foot labor and delivery suites will
help meet the growing need for
maternity services in Irvine. The rapid growth in and around Irvine has resulted in an expanding
population of households with young children. Irvine consistently ranks
as one of the best places to raise a family. In 2019, nearly 7,000 babies
were delivered at Hoag's Newport Beach campus – and 34 percent
of the new mothers were from the greater Irvine area.
Hoag’s commitment to Irvine and the surrounding communities has always
been focused on expanding convenient access to world-class care. The acute
care services available at Hoag Hospital Irvine are directly across the
street from
Hoag Health Center Irvine - Sand Canyon, which was designed as a community-centric health care "village"
offering a wide range of specialized and comprehensive health care services.
"Hoag’s health care village model provides highly personalized,
simplified and comprehensive medical and preventative care in modern facilities,
bringing Hoag’s renowned services where they are needed most –
right where people live and work," said
Marcy Brown, Senior Vice President and Chief Hospital Operations Officer at Hoag. "Expanding women’s services in Irvine with the opening of
the Fudge Family Birthing Suites make it easier than ever for women and
families to access our renowned services and programs without leaving
their community."
ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN
Hoag is a nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County,
California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients and 480,000 outpatients
annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital
Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened
in 2010 – in addition to nine health centers and 13 urgent care
centers. Hoag has invested $261 million in programs and services to support
the underserved community within the past five years, including areas
like mental health, homelessness, transportation for seniors, education,
and support for single mothers. Hoag is a designated Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers
a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes
providing specialized services in the following areas:
cancer,
heart and vascular,
neurosciences,
women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate,
Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and four ambulatory surgical
centers. In the 2020 - 2021
U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings, Hoag is the highest ranked hospital in Orange
County and the only OC hospital ranked in the Top 10 in California. For
an unprecedented 24 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag
as one of the county’s best hospitals in a local newspaper survey. Visit
www.hoag.org for more information.
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