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Donations provide equipment for new newborn nursery

In just a few weeks, for the first time in nearly a decade, babies will return to Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton when the new Childbirth Center opens next month. The new center will have eight labor and delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms, two new OB operating rooms, three private triage rooms, a newborn nursery and much more.

The new $15 million Childbirth Center is expected to care for about 500 patients in the first year and is fully equipped with spacious rooms and the latest medical technology and equipment. Donations to Children’s Miracle Network at Geisinger were used to help provide equipment and a new telemedicine unit for the newborn nursery.

Incubators, infant warmers, pediatric scales and bassinets for the center were paid for in part with Children’s Miracle Network at Geisinger funds, as well as the telemedicine unit which will allow the staff of the Childbirth Center to have access to Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital’s neonatal specialists in the event of an emergency during birth.

“The new Childbirth Center is equipped with a telemedicine unit like we have in place at Geisinger Lewistown and Bloomsburg,” said James Cook, MD, director of newborn services at Geisinger. “If the staff has a question about the baby, they can consult with one of our neonatologists quickly and face to face.”

The equipment enables the doctor on the other end to see high resolution video of the baby on screen and even listen to the baby’s lungs and heart to help with the exam.

“We can make decisions if the baby needs to be transported to Danville or if they meet the criteria to be transferred to our NICU at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, which is a little closer to home for these families,” Dr. Cook said.

The newborn equipment for the nursery carried a price tag of nearly $300,000, of which $100,000 of donations were used to offset that cost. The telemedicine equipment was fully funded with donations and cost nearly $13,000.

Make your donation today and help make miracles and healthy tomorrows for local newborns.