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Whitefish hospital to expand birth center

by Whitefish Pilot
| February 13, 2015 12:00 AM

North Valley Hospital is kicking off a capital campaign to finish raising funds for a $1.5 million expansion of its Birth Center.

The hospital is working to raise funds through its Building Generations campaign. It still needs to raise $500,000 to expand the building and another $500,000 to purchase equipment and provide staff training.

About 500 babies are born each year in the facility that was designed to delivery half that number.

Michelle Drager, Executive Director of the North Valley Hospital Foundation, said the first half million is needed to break ground on the project.

“Our plan is to break ground this spring, weather permitting, and complete the project before the holidays,” Drager said. “It would be reassuring to know we had 100 percent of the funding committed before breaking ground, but if it doesn’t happen, we’ll move forward with the construction in the anticipation that our goal will be realized by the time construction is complete. ”

The Birth Center project calls for an additional 2,730 square feet of new space more than double the current space and extensive renovation of the existing space.

The construction will provide for three new labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum rooms to make a total of five LDRP and two postpartum rooms. These combination rooms allow mothers to stay in the same room from start of labor through discharge making it more comfortable for her and her family, according to the hospital.

About 30 percent of mothers who deliver in the Birth Center experience their postpartum care in general inpatient rooms due to lack of available rooms, according to the hospital.

Plans also call for expansion of the nursery to care for babies needing special attention or to give mothers the opportunity for some quiet time. Other changes include a larger nurses’ station to accommodate multiple providers and staff, a larger family waiting area, and a new lactation room to assist new mothers.

Drager explained that all contributions, regardless of the size, are appreciated. As an example, $20 could pay for some new nursery bedding; $500 could pay for a portable monitor; $3,000 could pay for an infant bassinet; and $14,000 could pay for a labor and delivery bed.

The campaign has been in progress since late 2012 when Building for Generations was initiated to focus on the comprehensive plan for meeting the current and future healthcare needs.  

The first project completed in the campaign was the addition of a fourth operating room at the hospital to accommodate its growing surgical needs while maintaining access for emergency C-sections. The expansion broke ground in April 2013 at a cost of $1.76 million.

For more information on the Building for Generations campaign, please contact Michelle Drager at 406-863-3560 or mdrager@nvhosp.org.