Birthing Center Renamed for V.I.A.

Maternity services at Doylestown Hospital will go by a new name to reflect the long-standing tradition and influence of women on healthcare services in the community. The V.I.A. Maternity Center of Doylestown Hospital is the new official name for the hospital’s birthing center. The new name honors the Village Improvement Association of Doylestown (V.I.A.), the women’s civic organization that founded and continues to oversee the hospital today.

In 2011, the V.I.A. made a five-year, $1 million commitment to Doylestown Hospital to help fund the expansion and renovation of labor, delivery and postpartum facilities at the hospital. Funds raised at the Bucks County Designer House & Gardens from 2011-2015 will be used to complete the V.I.A.’s pledge. The Designer House is the largest fund raising activity of the V.I.A. and supports Doylestown Hospital and V.I.A. community projects.

About 1,300 babies are born every year at Doylestown Hospital, rated among the best in the region for maternity care by HealthGrades™. The hospital provides services from pre-natal testing through birth and beyond for mothers and newborns, for the most uncomplicated deliveries to specialized neonatal intensive care services. The hospital is equipped and ready to care for families with higher-than-normal risk related to multiple births, maternal age and medical risk factors. Through its affiliation with neonatalogists from the premier pediatric specialty hospital in the Delaware Valley, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Doylestown Hospital offers round-the-clock coverage by CHOP neonatologists.

In 2011, HealthGrades rated Doylestown Hospital’s maternity care services the highest score – 5-stars – for its outcomes with mothers and babies.  No other hospital in Bucks County achieved the top rating in last year’s report.

The V.I.A. Maternity Center of Doylestown Hospital features 22 private rooms, each with its own bathroom, and 10 private labor and delivery rooms where mothers give birth and bond with their newborns immediately after birth.

The expansion and renovation project, currently underway, is expected to be completed in Summer 2013 and includes:

• Construction of new and larger Newborn Nursery and Intensive Care Nursery.
• Two new C-section rooms will be opened after the nursery improvements are complete.
•  “Nesting Mother Rooms” will allow parents and newborns in the intensive care nursery to room together before being discharged to home.
• The entire unit will be receiving new paint, fixtures and artwork, including the unique creations of first-graders in the Central Bucks School District.
• New artwork, including original pieces depicting Mother-and-Child images, will be displayed throughout the center.

The V.I.A. was the guiding force behind the founding of in 1923, and still owns and oversees the operation of the hospital today. Founded in 1895 by a small but inspired group of women from Doylestown, the V.I.A. is nationally recognized as the only Women's Club to own and operate a community hospital.

The 2012 Designer House, Spring Valley Farm in Doylestown, runs from May 6-June 3, 2012.  Information about tickets and special events is available at www.buckscountydesignerhouse.org or by calling 215-345-2191.

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