Women and Children’s Center at Kaiser in Roseville celebrates anniversary

Children celebrate first birthday at Roseville hospital where they were born

Roseville, CA- The Women and Children’s Center at Kaiser hospital in Roseville marked its one-year anniversary Wednesday with a festive celebration attended by some of the children who were born on opening day.

The party reunited four of the six children born Jan. 13, 2009, who sat on their parents’ laps in front of cupcakes and candles while  physicians, nurses, staff and family members crowded around the table and sang, ‘Happy Birthday.’

A total of 4,953 babies have been born at the center, located on the campus of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center at Douglas Boulevard and Eureka Road.

“Today, we are celebrating not only one year in a new building, but a year of providing quality care and service,’ said Dr. Chris Palkowski, physician in chief of the medical center, one of Roseville’s largest employers. ‘It’s our physicians, nurses, staff, and other caregivers who work here every day who ensure this has become a place where new mothers, newborns, children, and teens receive excellent, family-focused care.’

More than 10,000 patients have received care in the center’s first year. “It has been an amazing year for the entire hospital,’ said Dr. Robert Azevedo, assistant physician in chief.

Special guests at the celebration, held in a fourth-floor conference room and lobby, included one-year-olds in the process of learning how to walk, as well as other young patients who were transferred from Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center on opening day.

Several of parents reunited with staff members and doctors who delivered their babies.

Mothers recalled the joy of being the first to give birth in a brand new labor and delivery room, and cared for by employees who were enthusiastic about working in such a modern setting, which made the birthing experience more comfortable.

‘The thing that I remember the most is just how nice everybody was, and how our labor and delivery doctor made us laugh through the whole time,’ said Jessica Locicero of Rocklin, the mother of 1-year-old Kylie. ‘It was just a really great experience.’

The 174-bed center is the largest of its kind in the Greater Sacramento area, and includes a 48-bed neonatal intensive care unit that is the largest in Placer County.

No matter the amenities of the center – an aqua-themed interior, private rooms, flat-screen televisions, space for a family member to rest, rocking chairs – parents, doctors and nurses Wednesday kept bringing up a common theme: family-centered patient care.

‘This really wouldn”t be a party without all of you,’ Chief Operating Officer Sandy Sharon told the crowd of more than 50 people. ‘And having the kids here makes it extra special.’