Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) Center for Women’s Health recently announced plans for a $6 million renovation of its Labor and Delivery suites and postpartum rooms.
The remodel of the spaces on the fourth floor of Vanderbilt University Adult Hospital is expected to begin at the end of the year, and it’s been a long time coming, according to Ronald Alvarez, M.D., chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The multi-phase plan calls for the renovation of the entire unit, which includes 54 beds.
“The plan is to modernize the unit for a better patient experience during one of the most important parts of their lives,” he said. “We already have a great interdisciplinary team of providers. We need an environment that matches.
“Women’s health is very important to Vanderbilt and maternal care is a part of that. We want the environment to be in line with the quality of care we provide.”
Alvarez pointed to several factors that led to the refurbishing: the growing population in Nashville and surrounding counties; a response to patient feedback about the need to refresh the unit’s décor; and the pending expansion of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
“We need expectant mothers in the greater Nashville area to realize that they can have all the amenities they deserve during this special time right here at VUMC.”
During the remodel, which is expected to take about four months, the unit will remain open with scheduled closures of four rooms for a two-week period. Currently the unit houses a 12-bed labor and delivery unit and 38 antepartum and postpartum rooms.
“We are getting a complete facelift,” said Shannon White, R.N., Labor and Delivery nurse manager. “Everything is going to look completely different — new floors, new lighting, new walls, room redesign, color schemes.
“The rooms are not only going to be more inviting for our patients and families, but they will also provide a better workspace for a more cohesive and user-friendly feel,” she said. “Essentially, our rooms will no longer look like hospital rooms, but more like bedrooms.”
Vanderbilt has 4,600 births per year and expects that number to increase.
“Time after time we receive great feedback about our care and our team, but one thing the surveys speak the loudest about is our need to update,” said White. “We want everyone to know that we are listening. We have included patients and staff input on design suggestions and we are really excited about this entire project.”
Some features expected to be incorporated into the new design include increased Wi-Fi coverage, concierge food delivery, a better environment for families and increased cardiac monitoring capacity.
As part of the expansion in the Center for Women’s Health, several new providers have joined the team, including:
• Lauren Prescott, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
• Erin Fairbrother, M.D., assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She will practice at the newly opened Smyrna location.
• Jeffrey Davis, D.O., assistant professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, will practice at Vanderbilt Center for Women’s Health at NorthCrest Medical Center in Springfield, Tennessee.
• Emad Elsamadicy, M.D., assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
• Two additional clinicians joining the team in September are Lauren Houston, M.D., assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Maternal Fetal Medicine practice, and Nidi De, M.D., assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Center for Women’s Health location in Williamson County.
