Immediate (Sunday, May 9, 2004)

Mike Noble
Fletcher Allen Public Affairs
(802) 847-2886

Fletcher Allen Names New Birthing Center In Honor Of Claire M. Lintilhac

Nurse-Midwife was Lifelong Advocate for Women's Care

BURLINGTON, VT - Fletcher Allen Health Care today dedicated its new Birthing Center in honor of Claire M. Lintilhac - the woman who helped introduce nurse-midwifery to the academic health center and who dedicated her life to the belief that all women are entitled to expert and empathetic care.

The Claire M. Lintilhac Birthing Center at Fletcher Allen Health Care is scheduled to admit its first patients on Sunday, May 23. The new center marks the completion of the inaugural component of Fletcher Allen's Renaissance Project.

"A person of great compassion and vision, Claire Lintilhac was instrumental in bringing a hospital-based midwifery service to our academic health center in the late 1960s to serve the women of our community," said Fletcher Allen President and Chief Executive Officer Melinda Estes, MD.  "By naming this new birthing center in her honor, we are commemorating her dedication to perinatal care and paying tribute to her energy and spirit, reminding us all that one person really can make a difference."

During the May 9th dedication ceremony, Fletcher Allen also recognized the generosity of the Lintilhac Foundation, which is providing a $500,000 gift to Fletcher Allen.  Since 1977, when Mrs. Lintilhac established the foundation, it has made a number of significant contributions to expand Fletcher Allen's nurse-midwifery program, which was renamed the Claire M. Lintilhac Nurse-Midwifery Service in 1992, in appreciation.

About Claire M. Lintilhac

Claire M. Lintilhac (1899-1984) was raised in China, the daughter of medical missionaries.  After completing her nursing training at the Shanghai Municipal Hospital, Mrs. Lintilhac worked in rural and coastal China for 17 years as a private-duty nurse and midwife, often the only practitioner of Western health care in the region.

In the 1950s, Mrs. Lintilhac moved to the United States with her family, eventually settling in Stowe, Vermont.  In the late 1960s, Mrs. Lintilhac worked with Dr. John Van Sicklen Maeck, then chairman of the OB/GYN Department at the Mary Fletcher Hospital, to incorporate nurse-midwifery into the practice of obstetrics in the Women's Health Care Service at Fletcher Allen.

Key features of the birthing center

Approximately 2,200 babies are born at Fletcher Allen every year.  The Claire M. Lintilhac Birthing Center serves women with a variety of interests and needs -- from uncomplicated deliveries to the most high-risk cases. Key features of the new birthing center include:

• Larger rooms to better accommodate women and their care team during labor, delivery and just after birth. 
• A wireless, waterproof fetal monitoring system, which allows the patient to walk freely around the unit, or labor in the tub, while the baby is being monitored.
• A visitor's lounge which includes a television, comfortable seating and a port for Internet access.
• Ample space for women to walk around the unit during labor, and a more efficient working environment for caregivers.
• Two procedure rooms for Cesarean births or multiple births, each one-and-a-half-times larger than the existing rooms.
• Proximity to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The new center is located adjacent to the NICU, providing immediate access in critical care situations.
• A room specially equipped with a water-birth tub for water births.
• Deep soaking tubs in all labor, delivery and recovery rooms.
• A labor lounge with fantastic views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains.
• Two labor, delivery and recovery rooms outfitted with Fletcher Allen's new Deaf-Talk system, an electronic interpreter service for the hearing impaired, the first of its kind in Vermont. The service is available to patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Colorful wall hangings and a soothing environment

The birthing center was designed with patient comfort in mind.  Each room includes a warm color palette and large windows, with medical equipment hidden from view.

Each room also will include a colorful wall hanging donated by Chris and April Cornell, owners of April Cornell and Cornell Trading. April Cornell also has donated copies of her new magazine, "The Art of The Everyday," for new mothers, in addition to a copy of her book, "April at Home," for the Birthing Center visitor's lounge.

Adorning the walls throughout the Birthing Center are photographs of new moms, babies, new dads and new families. Deborah Kehoe of Kehoe & Kehoe Design designed the photography display and also donated her time to coordinate the art contributions for the center.

"The photographs and wall hangings bring a sense of warmth, care and comfort to families," said Kehoe, whose daughter, Livia, was born at Fletcher Allen five years ago. "They help to create a positive home-like environment that will be soothing for patients."

About the Renaissance Project

In addition to the Claire M. Lintilhac Birthing Center, Fletcher Allen's Renaissance Project includes a new Ambulatory Care Center -- an outpatient care center that allows patients access to specialized services in one location -- an expanded emergency department, a new surgery center with eight additional operating suites, an inpatient mental health facility, a new central plant, and a new 1,200-space underground parking garage. Combined with a joint Education Center, constructed in collaboration with the University of Vermont College of Medicine, the project creates the state's first and only integrated patient care and academic health sciences campus.