Born 2 Minutes After Huntley Hospital Opened, Its First Baby Is Now 10

HUNTLEY, IL — Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital celebrated its 10-year anniversary by welcoming back the family whose unexpected arrival became part of the hospital's history on its very first day.

Heather and Shane Doty and their daughter, Gianna, attended an anniversary celebration Monday, marking a decade since the hospital opened on Aug. 9, 2016. On that date ten years ago, the Dotys had planned to deliver at another hospital, but Heather was already in labor and the baby was coming quickly.

Subscribe

They called the new Huntley hospital and headed there as employees gathered outside for a commemorative opening-day photograph, according to Northwestern Medicine officials.

Heather's husband was concerned about where to go as they approached the hospital, while Heather had a more immediate concern.

"He was worried about the photo opp and I was worried about having a baby in the parking lot," Heather recalled with a laugh.

The family made it inside, and just two minutes after the hospital officially opened its doors at 7 a.m., Gianna was born at 7:02 a.m., becoming the hospital's first patient and first baby.

Joan Stout, a nurse at the time and now the hospital's perinatal services manager, was working at the hospital that morning.

"The team was gathering outside by the flagpole to take a celebratory picture for opening day," Stout recalled. "I was up on the unit and the station phone rang and I got a call saying, 'The baby is coming.'"

Stout said she alerted the team, prepared the unit and helped coordinate the delivery.

"We had a baby girl at 7:02 a.m. when the hospital was set to open at 7 a.m.," she said.

Ten years later, Gianna returned to the hospital for its anniversary celebration, where staff members sang "Happy Birthday" to her while also celebrating the hospital's milestone.

"Emotional, it feels emotional. Just so grateful," Heather said.

The Doty family has since moved from Hampshire to Union Grove, Wisconsin, though they still have family in the Huntley area and return regularly.

For Stout, seeing Gianna again was a reminder of how much the hospital and the community have changed over the past decade.

"I think we've grown tremendously. The growth has been incredible," Stout said. "We've delivered almost 12,000 babies in the last 10 years and it's nice to see the community coming here from all areas, coming here to Huntley to deliver their babies."

The anniversary celebration brought together hospital employees, physicians, volunteers and leaders to reflect on the facility's first decade.

"This anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate not only the hospital's first decade, but also the remarkable growth of the Huntley community we are privileged to serve," said Matt Carlen, president of Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital.

The hospital opened in August 2016 as a five-story, 380,000-square-foot facility. In 2018, it became part of Northwestern Medicine along with Northwestern Medicine McHenry and Woodstock Hospitals.

Today, the Huntley hospital campus has more than 1,330 employees and 300 board-certified physicians. Huntley, McHenry and Woodstock hospitals recently ranked tied No. 11 in Illinois and the Chicago metropolitan area in the U.S. News "Best Hospitals" rankings.

The hospital is continuing to expand. A third medical office building is scheduled to open in October, adding services including cardiovascular care, oncology and infusion services, general surgery and urology, along with new specialties such as gastroenterology, radiation and surgical oncology and palliative care, according to Northwestern Medicine.

The project is expected to bring about 300 new jobs to the Huntley campus.

For Gianna, being part of the hospital's history is something she can now appreciate as she celebrates her own 10th birthday.

"I'm excited and happy," Gianna said.