A very special delivery has arrived in east Toronto. Rouge Valley Health System (RVHS) proudly celebrates the official opening of its Birthing and Newborn Centre.

The event - taking place on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 11 a.m., at the Rouge Valley Centenary hospital campus - will welcome this state-of-the-art birthing facility to the community.

“Many years of planning, fundraising and hard work have gone into this project. The impact that this Birthing and Newborn Centre will have, and has already had, on our community is significant. This state-of-the-art facility offers the best modern birthing experience in the Greater Toronto area,” says RVHS Board Chair Janet Ecker.

Ecker adds, “We thank the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Central East Local Health Integration Network, our volunteers, our Foundation, donors, our staff, physicians and our community for bringing this modern birthing facility to the families of east Toronto. The new centre is shining example of Rouge Valley being the best at what it does.”

- Guests include the first baby and Minister Best -

Guest speaker Margarett Best, Minister of Health Promotion and MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood, will be cutting the ribbon to mark the official opening. The first baby born at the Birthing and Newborn Centre, Pranavi Sivakanthan, and her parents Rajeeni Sivakanthan and Sivakanthan Kandiah will attend the event. The baby girl was born on Dec. 11.

"New year, newborns, new hopes and dreams; the opening of a Birthing and Newborn Centre is a new beginning for RVHS," says Minister Best. "This centre will provide newborns with a great beginning and prepare their parents to nurture them to live healthy, active and smoke-free lives."

This new centre is located at Rouge Valley Centenary hospital campus, at the corner of Neilson and Ellesmere Roads, and reflects the very best practices in maternal and newborn services. Its modern and comfortable birthing rooms have been designed to accommodate family and friends. The Birthing and Newborn Centre also features highly-advanced equipment and skilled staff, who can look after more complicated deliveries and high-risk pregnancies.

Among the features at the RVHS Birthing and Newborn Centre are:

* 16 Labour, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum (LDRP) rooms. High-tech medical equipment such as monitors and baby warmers are contained in the cupboards and other furniture. In the private washroom a whirlpool tub is available as an alternative form of pain management. The chair converts, to allow the father or support person to stay comfortably in the room overnight.

*  21 additional post-partum beds. These beds are located in postpartum rooms, which are comfortable, homelike spaces where mothers and babies are cared for together by the health care team. 

* A new Advanced Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, adjacent to modern, state-of-the-art operating birthing rooms. This larger and more inviting space will allow parents the luxury of spending more time with their newborn as they recover.

* Four private care-by-parent rooms for parents to look after their babies just prior to discharge when they have been admitted for prolonged periods.

* Two overnight hostel rooms for mothers and families who have been discharged before their babies are ready to go home.

To read more about Rouge Valley Centenary's new Birthing and Newborn Centre, visit http://www.rougevalley.ca/growth/birthing. 

* Members of the media are welcome to take photos of the Minister with the family of the first baby born at the Birthing and Newborn Centre. 

-- Rouge Valley Health System (RVHS) - The best at what we do --

RVHS is an excellent acute care community hospital with many programs, including 24/7/365 emergency, cardiac care and mental health. Rouge Valley consists of several health sites, including two community hospital campuses: Rouge Valley Centenary in east Toronto; and Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering in west Durham. Together, a team of physicians (224 general practitioners and 325 specialists), 1,000 nurses and many other professionals care for a broad spectrum of health conditions. Working in consultation and partnership with community members, other hospitals, health care organizations, the Central East Local Health Integration Network and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Rouge Valley continues to improve its programs and cater to the needs of the growing communities of east Toronto, Ajax, Pickering and Whitby.

Contact

David Brazeau

Director

Public Affairs and Community Relations

Rouge Valley Health System

(647) 294-8885

dbrazeau@rougevalley.ca