Published Saturday, May 12, 2012

New hospital delivers its first baby on opening day

The Newnan Times-Herald

Julia Gomez of Grantville has something extra to celebrate this Mother’s Day.

Not just the arrival of a new baby, but the distinction of being the proud mother of the first baby born at the new Piedmont Newnan Hospital.

The new baby, 7-pound, 3-ounce Kimberly Gomez-Elvira, is the fourth child for Julia and her husband, Ramiro Gomez. She was born at 7:55 p.m. on May 8, the day the new hospital opened.

“We have had a beautiful experience at Piedmont Newnan Hospital,” said Gomez. “Since we arrived, the service has been outstanding. The building is beautiful, and everyone has been very welcoming. We were really surprised that she was the first baby born at the new hospital.”

The new 136-bed Piedmont Newnan Hospital features five Labor-Delivery-Recovery (LDR) suites, each equipped with advanced fetal heart monitoring technology; 14 post-delivery rooms for mother and baby; a neonatal nurse practitioner-led resuscitation team available 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), featuring six private NICU rooms, which will be used to provide long-term care for premature infants born at 32 weeks and older.

“Our staff is thrilled to be in our new home on Poplar Road,” said April Foley, director of women’s services at Piedmont Newnan Hospital. “We are excited to continue to deliver top-quality care to our patients in this new enhanced environment. We couldn’t be happier to deliver the first baby in the hospital on the first day it opens.”

After Kimberly was born, the Gomez family was presented with two gift baskets: one from Piedmont Newnan Hospital and another from the PNH Auxiliary volunteers at the Poplar Shop, the hospital’s new gift shop.