St. John's in Joplin to open birthing center in fall 1999

St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin has announced plans to open its new birthing center by the fall of 1999, according to a news release from St. John's.

Located just north of St. John's parking garage and east of the main building, the Sister Kevin Kirwan Birthing Center will be a 55,000-square-foot facility on two stories.

The center will feature 12 labor, delivery, recovery and post-partum rooms, two nurseries, two lactation stations, a library/conference room, seven antepartum/post-partum rooms, a physicians' area with sleeping quarters and a waiting area.

The center is designed around the needs and expectations of mothers and families, according to the news release. Because the birth of a baby is an event that will be shared by family and friends, St. John's new center will have a spacious family waiting area, St. John's stated.

The center also will have a dedicated parking lot, circle drive and entrance, designed to make the expectant family's arrival a little less hectic on the big day.

The center also is directly linked to St. John's main operating room, for the convenience of cesarean patients.