On the third floor of the Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center, in 36,000 square feet of sunny yellow and green rooms and halls, new lives enter the world.
The first was Avery Bell, 8 pounds and 12 ounces of pure joy for parents Chris and Candy Bell.
“We tried really hard to have the first baby,” said Candy Bell.
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She did just that, becoming the first mother to deliver a baby in the new Family Birth Center at the Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center on Nov. 20.
“We got the VIP treatment,” added Chris Bell.
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The labor and delivery unit opened just 24 hours before Avery made her debut in what is the first labor and delivery unit in the City of Vacaville.
Until now, most Kaiser Permanente members in Solano County have been receiving maternity care from the team at the Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center, though some mothers delivered at medical centers in Roseville or South Sacramento.
But recently the Vacaville Medical Center was designated as the only level II trauma center for Solano County. One of the requirements of that designation was to have a labor and delivery unit.
So leaders, physicians, and staff got to work equipping and furnishing the new Family Birth Center. The result is a calming environment paired with world-class expertise and security features, seeking to meet every need of expectant mothers.
“We had an extremely supportive team throughout the hospital that has really owned the opening of this unit,” said Kimberly Trumbull, RN, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer for Kaiser Permanente's Vacaville Medical Center.
When word of the new center came, Trumbull said applications from prospective staff came pouring in.
“We are very fortunate to be able to hire [many] nurses internally. There is a lot of experience here,” said Trumbull. “These are longtime KP nurses, and they are so good at what they do.”
Nurses and support staff have transferred from all over the region. Registered nurse Debbie Dunham was one of them. A Kaiser Permanente nurse for 35 years, Dunham had been working in Vallejo, but Vacaville is her home.
“I am very excited to be here. I’ve heard so many good things about the hospital. I am glad we are part of this team now. It’s close to my home. I love taking care of moms and babies,” said Dunham.
Cindy Carmouche, who has been a registered nurse with Kaiser Permanente for 27 years, is also a transfer, but lives in Vacaville. She marveled at her new workplace.
“It’s so new, overlooking beautiful hills. I can’t imagine a better environment to work in,” said Carmouche. “I am so grateful to work with the quality of people here.”
She and other nurses noted the stellar leadership of Cherie Laurence Stagg, RN, who was tapped to be the nurse manager of the new Family Birth Center. She was there as the first laboring moms started to arrive.
“It was wonderful to see that first patient come in. We had 2 babies in the first 24 hours. They were spoiled because all the staff wanted to be a part of it and support the parents,” said Stagg. “I look forward to leading this amazing team.”
Trumbull shares that excitement too. She began her nursing career in labor and delivery.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity in a career, now as a leader, to open up a labor and delivery unit; I want it to be perfect. It’s my baby. ”
Click here for more information on the new Family Birth Center at Kaiser Permanente's Vacaville Medical Center.