January 2012

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were filled with joy and your New Year is full of blessing and good health for you and your loved ones. At Mercy Health, we hope to be a convenient and positive part of your good health. We will continue the many projects we began in 2011 – including the construction of Mercy Health – West Hospital – and are looking forward to new services and initiatives we will introduce in 2012. All of these projects are focused on helping you be well!

Regarding the new hospital, you may have read or heard that one of many services we will introduce to our west communities is a full range of maternity services to help you and your family welcome your bundle of joy. To lead this new service, we have appointed Dennis Wiwi, M.D., Obstetrics and Gynecology, as Medical Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the new Mercy Health – West Hospital.

Dr. Wiwi brings extensive experience and knowledge to our new program, and we are excited to work with him to bring you the world class clinical services and compassionate care you and your baby deserve. To ensure your stay with us is as positive and enjoyable as possible, our Family Birth Center at Mercy Health – West Hospital, will offer:

• Private rooms with private shower and bathroom, a sleeper sofa, desk, and plenty of natural light
• Level II Special Care Nursery for babies requiring additional support including preterm and late preterm babies with private, specially equipped rooms to create an environment for babies to continue their development, to ensure uninterrupted sleep and to promote bonding with the parents
• Two family suites on the Special Care Nursery for families that want to be close to their child, while he or she is in the Special Care Nursery
• Maternal Fetal Medicine Program to reduce risks for mothers who experience complicated pregnancies
• A variety of Childbirth Education classes including one-day classes (Baby Basics, Infant Safety and CPR, Breastfeeding, Siblings at Delivery, Childbirth Refresher), and a four-week Childbirth Education series
• Lactation Program and a Lactation Room with help available from lactation specialists who can help with breastfeeding and provide general patient education

Our staff will include doctors and nurses experienced in obstetrics and we will draw from the exceptional care and service provided at our award-winning Family Birth Centers at Mercy Health – Fairfield Hospital and Mercy Health – Anderson Hospital.

We understand the birth of a baby is one of the most precious moments in life. At Mercy Health, we want you and your bundle of joy to have a wonderful beginning. I invite you to visit the Maternity section of this web site for more details about our Family Birth Center. I also welcome your feedback and questions related to this service as we prepare for the “birth” of a new generation in health care for the west side: the 2013 opening of Mercy Health – West Hospital!

Sincerely,

Michael R. Stephens
President and Market Leader
Mercy Health – West Region