Allina Health and Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota to break ground on The Mother Baby Center at Mercy Hospital on May 14

MINNEAPOLIS, May 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Allina Health and Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota (Children's) announced they will grow their birthing center partnership by breaking ground on The Mother Baby Center at Mercy, part of Allina Health, in Coon Rapids, Minn. on May 14. The new Center, targeted to open mid-2015, will provide all mothers and families in the north Twin Cities metro area – including Coon Rapids, Anoka, Buffalo, Maple Grove and neighboring communities – access to a network of world-class, family-centered birthing options closer to home.

The Mother Baby Center at Mercy, a $30 million initiative, will feature the only Level II special care nursery in the north metro with private patient rooms, providing in-room accommodations for families to stay together with their baby. For babies born at less than 34 weeks gestation, or for those who require a higher level of care, there will also be a seamless transition to and from The Mother Baby Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and Children's in Minneapolis.

"Adding more specialized services at Mercy, especially for high-risk mothers and babies will mean fewer will need to go farther from home for care. We want to keep mothers and babies as close together as possible. Patients are happier when they can receive the care they need close to home. That is what Allina Health aspires to do in all of the communities we serve," said Penny Wheeler, MD, president and chief clinical officer, Allina Health.

Mercy Hospital will ultimately move its current birth center to a new 62,200-square-foot, two-story Mother Baby Center attached to the hospital. For high-risk patients, a skyway will grant connection to the hospital's main operating room. Initial capacity of The Mother Baby Center delivered by Mercy and Children's will accommodate 2,700 births annually, with shelled space for growth for up to 3,500 births annually.

"Mothers and families want a personalized and safe birthing experience in a space that is thoughtfully designed, features state of the art technology and is staffed by the highest trained professionals. With Children's as a partner, The Mother Baby Center at Mercy will optimize the quality of care for all mothers and babies in the north metro," said Alan L. Goldbloom, MD, chief executive officer, Children's. "Building on the experience and success of The Mother Baby Center at Children's and Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis, I'm confident this expansion will continue to advance the standards of maternal, fetal and newborn care across the state."

Additional features of The Mother Baby Center at Mercy will include:

• A designated entrance with valet services and immediate access to triage
• 10 labor and delivery rooms
• 22 post-partum rooms
• Two large operating rooms
• An infant resuscitation room
• A 10-room Level II special care nursery with 14 bassinets
• A newborn nursery
• Five triage rooms
• All private patient rooms with full bathrooms, luggage carts, hospitality amenities (hairdryers, large screen TV, iPod docking station, fold-out sleeper sofa, etc.)
• A family lounge dedicated to families whose baby requires neonatal care
• Provider call rooms

The announcement of the ceremonial groundbreaking of The Mother Baby Center delivered by Mercy and Children's comes just over a year after the grand opening of The Mother Baby Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and Children's, which opened in February 2013.

About Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota
Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children's serves kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, 12 primary and specialty-care clinics and six rehabilitation sites. Children's maintains its longstanding commitment to the community to improve children's health by providing high-quality, family-centered pediatric services and advancing those efforts through research and education. An award-winning health system, Children's is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children's hospital and by The Leapfrog Group for quality and efficiency. Please visit childrensMN.org.

About Allina Health
Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A not-for-profit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 12 hospitals, 15 pharmacies, specialty care centers and specialty medical services that provide home care, senior transitions, hospice care, home oxygen and medical equipment, and emergency medical transportation services. Learn more at allinahealth.org.

Media Contacts:
Erin Keifenheim
Direct: 612-813-6614
Cell: 651-503-2831
[email protected]

Gloria O'Connell
Direct: 612-863-4801
Cell: 612-859-9106
[email protected]

SOURCE Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota