Brahm's lullaby announces each birth

What a wonderful event! On December 14 Congressman Jim Walsh and his wife, DeDe, helped cut the ribbon to dedicate the new Family Birth Center that is named after them. The Walshes were joined by the Snyders. Wendy Snyder gave birth to each of her three children at CGH, and she is expecting her fourth in February.

At the ribbon-cutting were, from left, Dr. Howard Weinstein, Chair, Department of OB/GYN; Christine O’Connell More, Chair, Community General Foundation; Congressman Jim and DeDe Walsh; Rob Snyder with son Joshua and daughter Katherine; Wendy Snyder with daughter Anna; myself; and Steve Infanti, Chair, Community General Hospital.

The new center is filled with special touches, from wood trim to frosted glass side panels, each with a decorative rose. The bathrooms have tile floors and whirlpool baths. Linen shelves may be stocked from outside each room, and each laboring mom will have a soft bathrobe. There are three triage rooms, six LDR rooms (labor-delivery-recovery), and two rooms for C-Sections.

Another special feature of the new center is a recording that announces the birth of a baby to the entire hospital. At the dedication ceremonies Laura Smith, LPN, demonstrated the chime recording of Brahms' Lullaby. Mrs. Smith, who with Dr. Weinstein unceremoniously raised a hammer last spring to start the demolition of the old unit, has been a CGH employee in Labor & Delivery since December 26, 1962 – five days before the first baby was born at Community Hospital.

Our thanks to the US Government for the $1 million grant secured by Congressman Walsh, and to the donors of some $338,000 in additional funds that have been contributed to the birth center. The total cost is $1.9 million, and donations are being accepted by the Community General Foundation’s “Pay it Forward” capital campaign.

Thank you, all!

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This text was originally sent to the employees of Community General Hospital, Syracuse, NY, as one of a series of letters from the CEO. The text was subsequently posted on the CEO's blog, More than Medicine, started in June 2007.