News

On June 1, Lakewood Ranch Medical Center (LWRMC) began construction on a $3 million renovation of its Women’s Center. The project is intended to give the Women’s Center a more spa-like atmosphere and expand access to high-quality maternity care in the Lakewood Ranch community. The first renovated rooms will be available in September, and the project is expected to be completed by early 2021.

Keeping with current design trends for labor and delivery spaces, LWRMC’s vision for the Women’s Center focuses on the comfort of patients, both mother and newborn, and families. The envisioned Women’s Center will provide a peaceful environment for women at every stage of labor, from admission to delivery and postpartum.

A modernized lobby will offer a welcoming atmosphere to expectant mothers as they arrive. To emphasize hospitality, the new reception and waiting areas will feature a backlit reception desk. Corridors will have artwork, warmer finishes and new lighting to avoid the often-sterile atmosphere of hospitals. Further departing from the hospital feel, entryways to each room will be enhanced with decorative soffits, new lighting and custom signage.

Every labor and delivery room will receive new finishes and amenities, including personalized lighting control for expectant mothers giving a unique birthing experience, added space for family members and new equipment to assist with delivery. To aid with recovery after the baby’s birth, patient rooms will have the feel of a hotel room, with upgraded headwall finishes and furniture, large televisions and the option to hide or disguise clinical aspects of the room.

This renovation project will expand the Women Center’s capacity to 14 labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum rooms, ensuring mothers and babies stay together in the same room throughout their stay. There are also plans for significant improvements to the staff areas of the Women’s Center, including a redesign of the nurse station for improved functionality and efficiency.

LWRMC CEO Andy Guz stated, “After our completion of the $28.5 million expansion project, we are excited to start the Women’s Center Renovation. It is our goal to always improve our patient care and experience at LWRMC.”

“Having a baby can be exciting but also very stressful for expecting parents,” added Chrissy Coney, Birth Designer at LWRMC. “By providing them with a calm, serene environment, we can help to make them more relaxed and comfortable. The look and feel of the new Women’s Center will create a peaceful, warm environment in which families can feel more like they are at home than in a hospital.”