St. John’s Hospital Breaks Ground on New Labor & Delivery Unit
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital has started working on their new baby. On Friday, May 17, the hospital broke ground on their new Labor, Delivery, Recovery & Post-Partum Unit.
Among the attendees at Friday’s ceremony were St. John’s staff and supporters, Bishop Lawrence Provenzano – EHS Board Chairman, Dr. Donald T. Morrish, MD, MMM, CEO, Renee Hastick-Motes, Senior Vice President & Chief External Affairs Officer Dr. Jacqueline Marecheau, MD, FACOG, Department Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as elected officials including Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr., Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson, Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato, Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers and representatives for Rep. Gregory Meeks and Senator James Sanders.
The new state-of-the-art unit will feature six Labor, Delivery, Recovery, and Postpartum rooms, each with a private shower, allowing patients to stay in one room throughout their hospital experience. This enhancement ensures local families have access to comprehensive, personalized birthing experiences close to home, fostering a sense of security and support during this precious journey.
The unit will also include two advanced cesarean operating rooms, two recovery rooms, and four triage rooms, ensuring high-quality care for high-risk pregnancies and specialized services for mothers and babies. A Family Lounge with a pantry and public restroom will be adjacent to the reception area to enhance family comfort. Additionally, the facility includes team member offices, nurses’ stations, on-call rooms, lounges for physicians and team members, a locker room, and a Medication Safety Zone.
The new unit has been made possible by funding from various sources including a nearly $2 million federal award, a nearly $4 million NYC Capital Grant for Construction, a nearly $700K NYC Capital Grant for Equipment, a $125K grants from the Ackerman Foundation and $1.2 million in private funding from donations and fundraising events.
During the event Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato announced that she would be designating $500,000 for the LDRP unit. “With the pledge of these additional funds, this project is now funded by every level of government. This collaborative effort demonstrates a shared commitment to improving maternal and infant health in the Rockaway community” said Renee Hastick-Motes, SVP & Chief External Affairs Officer, EHS.
