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Wake Forest Baptist Health Unveils New Birth Center, Neonatal ICU

One of the 17 labor and delivery rooms at Wake Forest Baptist Health. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Wake Forest Baptist Health unveiled its new labor and delivery center on Tuesday before it officially opens later this summer. It will provide services for both routine and complex pregnancies.

The health system had stopped routine deliveries in the mid-1970s and has since focused on providing those services for high-risk pregnancies.

Hospital officials say the new 100,000-square-foot facility was designed with patients and their families in mind. There are elevators that go directly to the birth center, lounge spaces for family members next to the patient's room and lots of natural light. There's even artwork throughout the facility created by local residents.

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A private neonatal ICU room. KERI BROWN/WFDD

“What's great for the community is that people will have a choice where they can deliver their babies,” says Dr. Julie Freischlag, CEO of WFBH and Dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine. “And the most complicating thing is if you had delivered your baby and the baby was sick enough to have to come to the Brenner ICU, the mother wasn't allowed to come with the baby, so now since we will have expanded services and space that mother can come as well.“

Just a few feet away from the birth center is the new Dale and Karen Sisel Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The ICU has more than 50 private rooms and was built with the help of community donations. Among those is a gift of $5 million from Sisel and her late husband.

“The reason behind all of this is that I toured the old [ICU] several years ago and I walked away from there with tears streaming down my face. It was a disaster,” says Karen Sisel. “My husband and I led a wonderful life and I asked myself how could I repay and the thought was to 'pass it forward' as they say today, and make a better place for these children so they can someday enjoy the life that Dale and I did.”

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A ribbon cutting for the new birth center and NICU. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Researchers say the right environment is important for optimal growth and development of premature or seriously ill infants. The hospital says the private ICU rooms will provide a quieter, more comfortable environment for parents and families.

The new labor and delivery center is expected to open in late July.

*You can follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news 

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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