Babies Come Back! Loretto Hospital to Reunite With 'Children' Born at the West Side Healthcare Facility in Its Delivery Center Heyday

CHICAGO, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Doctors, nurses, board and staff members of Loretto Hospital will reconnect with "Loretto Babies," area residents who were born at the hospital back when it still operated a delivery center, at a first-of-its-kind public birthday celebration:

The outdoor birthday celebration will pay tribute to a long and diverse history at Loretto, one of a few remaining, nonprofit stand-alone community hospitals in the Chicagoland area. The event will feature the Jesse White Tumblers and Quick Change Artists David and Dania, as seen on The Oprah Winfrey Show and America's Got Talent, as well as food, music, entertainment and a chance to win a 32-inch LCD television.

Hospital officials put out a call for Loretto Babies starting in the spring through newspaper ads, PSAs on Chicago-area radio stations and a large sign that hangs on the side of the hospital that is visible from the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290).

Loretto has been serving Chicago's largest community, Austin, located on the West Side, for more than 70 years. The hospital, which is funded by government grants and private donations, stopped delivering babies in the early 1980s as insurance costs for obstetrics departments around the country began to rise.

"Most community hospitals cannot afford to have maternity wards any more because the insurance costs are simply too high," said Camille Y. Lilly, Vice President of External Affairs for the hospital. "I think people will be surprised to learn about the hospital's diverse history and that, in spite of changes in healthcare organizations and insurance costs over the years, Loretto is still here and going strong."

In 2009, Loretto introduced the new Kimberly A. Lightford Emergency Department, a state-of-the-art facility featuring electronic medical records technology and monitoring equipment. It was named in honor of Illinois state senator Kimberly A. Lightford, Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois General Assembly.

SOURCE Loretto Hospital