deal with high-risk things
every single day that some
other hospitals would see
once a year, so we have
to have those emergency
response [systems] built in
because it’s our standard,”
she says.

Work on the unit began
more than two years ago,
Crimmins adds. “Our
prior unit was fi nished in
the eighties, so our prior
unit is 30 plus years old,”
she says. “We have three
times the space that we
had now.”
Caryn Zolotorow, nurse
and unit manager, says the
new facility is fi lling a
critical need. The unit
will have upgraded old
facilities and individual rooms for patient
“If the doctors need to talk to patients
care sett ing utilizing midwives and
comfort and privacy. “Not everyone has
with not so great outcomes, they can
happy outcomes, and we can help
come to the room to talk to them in a
patients and families cope with whatever
private space,” she says. “We have a
so if a mom does want a natural labor and
they are here for, for any reason,”
bereavement room because we do have
wants to walk around during labor and
Zolotorow says. “About 80 percent of our
losses. So, we can prepare the baby in here,
be on a birthing ball, we have a group of
patients are high risk, so Hopkins and
and family can see them in here. We do
practitioners who will take care of those
ourselves are where patients need to go
molds, handprints and footprints, things like
patients,” she says.

either for babies that need the intensive
that. It’s hard for families and hard for us.

Crimmins says the aesthetics and
care nursery or for moms that need high-
But we didn’t have a great space before, so
equipment of the labor unit also needed
risk care.”
this is wonderful for us to be able to off er that
an upgrade. Now, patients will see walls
for families.”
awash in bright blues and yellows. In
A bereavement room was also added to
the unit, a fi rst of its kind, according
to Zolotorow.

Another off ering that makes the
new unit unique is the more homelike
emphasizing wellness.

“It’s nice to have a group of midwives
the architecture and fi nishing, there are
a lot of wings and curving, both in the
walls and fl oors, all meant to soothe and
relax patients.

“The idea was for this to be a calming
place, so everything here is in the theme
of calmness and sereneness,” Crimmins
says. “You will see pictures of wind, water
and light on the walls in certain areas. On
each of the labor room walls, there are
pictures of nature scenes to be focusing
devices for pushing. Two pictures in every
labor room have just a beautiful symmetry
of colors.”
The end result is a space the team is very
proud of, in part, because so many details
have been well-planned. “Everybody is very
proud and passionate about this place,”
Crimmins says. “Everyone wants to make
sure this is the best it can be for the people
New operating room
in Maryland.”
washingtonFAMILY.com January 2019
21