HCA Houston Healthcare Tomball

[mrfootball]

My wife will be disappointed to hear this isn't opening in September when we're due to have our baby girl...

Tomball hospital to deliver luxury for moms

$5.1 million women's center expected to open in November

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/cyf...ws/3837467.html

By MELISSA SULLIVAN

Chronicle Correspondent

Construction is under way on a Women's Center at Tomball Regional Medical Center, with completion slated for the fall.

The $5.1 million project will be located on the seventh floor of the hospital, 605 Holderrieth Blvd. in Tomball, and will resemble a five-star hotel with extravagant furnishings and accommodations, said George Covington, senior vice president over legal services.

The 3,100-square-foot center will include 11 delivery suites, two surgical suites, a 16-bed nursery, a seven-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a full-time neonatologist on staff, Covington said.

"A women's center had been discussed for a long time," he said. "The decision to open a women's center was driven by the tremendous amount of growth here and more needs for a birthing center and women services."

Amenities will include flat screen televisions, wood-grained floors, integrated blinds and a children's play area, Covington said.

A security system will be installed to prevent anyone from taking a child off the floor without permission, Covington said.

"A sensor on the baby shuts down the elevator and locks the doors," he said.

Bobbye Christopher, the projects coordinator, said the design has incorporated the colors green, purple and gold. She said the facility can be compared to the medical center in downtown Houston.

"We will receive the same medical equipment here in Tomball, and people won't have to make the drive," she said.

Covington said each room will be equipped with wireless Internet, so expectant parents can e-mail or share pictures of their newborn faster.

Doctors will be equipped with the latest monitoring system that will allow them to check on a mom and baby from home via a hand-held PDA device, Covington said.

"If it's 2 a.m. and we call the doctor at home, they can pick up their hand-held device and look at how mom and baby are doing," he said.

Lynn LeBouef, president/CEO of Tomball Regional Medical Center, said the addition of the new facility will enable the hospital to serve its patients better.

"The Women's Center is dedicated to providing the highest-quality care for all newborns. The addition of a full-time neonatologist will enable us to handle the most complex and high-risk situations," she said.

Construction is expected to be completed by November.

president/CEO of Tomball Regional Medical Center

[brijonmang]

this is very cool...todays technology at its finest

[Mom22Blessings]

They were tired of pople going to other places. I had my son at TR and I vowed to never do that again. Then I had my daughter at MH - The Woodlands and loved it. Go figure.

[Natty]

When will hospital administrators get it ? Color schemes, plush fabrics, flat screen tvs, high tech monitoring devices that allow Doctors to manage labor from home are not what the majority of women want. These things do nothing to improve the health of Women or the next generation.

Real Women doing the work of labor are not concerned with "extravagant furnishings" or "5 Star accommodations". These luxuries are just smoke screens. Womens work is hard and messy work, now women have to worry about soiling the fabrics or ruining the decor.

What matters to most women is whether they are supported in their birth choices. Why not spend money on Midwives or Doulas, research shows that these birth attendants reduce the need for medical intervention, and uneccesarry drugs.

Our improved techonolgy and improved decor has not improved outcomes for mothers and babies. Yes there has been a decrease in maternal deaths but this can be attributed to the liberal use of antibiotics and women having fewer babies. Autism, ADHD, and preterm birth rates are higher than ever, 1 in 70 babies born will be autistic can you believe that?....

Spend money on improving nutritional health, reducing obesity, providing postpartum support, all things that will have a phenominal affect on health and improved outcomes for babies.

All this hospital cares about is attracting more patients and making more money so it (the hospital) can purchase more fancy stuff. Please someone tell me how spending $5.1 million will benefit anyone other than the hospital and those so superficial believing that green, purple, and fake gold will help with the birth of a baby. It takes blood, sweat, hard work and tears to birth a baby. I'm happy to say that I am seeing more and more women who believe in hard work or at the very least are questioning the technocratic medicalization of birth. Educated intelligent women are not deciding their place for delivery based on "5 Star surrondings".

Progress is great.....But don't believe the hype.

[MarthaG]

I have to agree with Natty on all points made.

And, don't get me wrong, I like to be surrounded with nice things, but this is for a short hospital visit (God willing) and NOT a vacation requiring 5 star surroundings.

The insurance companies are going to end up paying for more expensive rooms, and guess who ends up paying for that. You and me.

There are much more important things that $5.1mill can be spent on.

[Orikal]

They were tired of pople going to other places. I had my son at TR and I vowed to never do that again. Then I had my daughter at MH - The Woodlands and loved it. Go figure.

I grew up in Tomball and have been to TR on more occassions than I care to admit, and each visit seemed worse than the last.

Now, I haven't been there in more than a decade, but based on past experience I wouldn't send someone to get stitches there, much less birth a child.

Flat screens or not.

[Mom22Blessings]

I live close to Tomball and made the short drive to Methodist Willowbrook for myself and my daughter on 2 different occasions. I was in and out of the ER in less than 3 hours each time.