Ascension St. Vincent’s hospital plans to add a 28,000-square-foot birthing center to its medical campus in St. Johns County.
The St. Johns River Water Management District and St. Johns County are reviewing permit applications for the expansion to the $115 million, 150,000-square-foot campus at northeast Interstate 95 and County Road 210 West. The county’s development review committee is scheduled to discuss the expansion plans April 1.
An Ascension spokesperson said in an email that additional details on the birthing center, including the number of rooms and beds in the facility, were not available.
Opened in July 2022, the hospital is at the mixed-use development the Fountains at St. Johns. It has 56 beds, including eight in the intensive care unit, and offers emergency services, short-term care, cardiovascular care, orthopedics, musculoskeletal care, general surgical services, laboratory services and imaging. There is an adjacent 82,500-square-foot medical office building.
Jacksonville-based Prosser | Prime AE is the civil engineer for the birthing center project.
According to healthcare.ascension.org, Ascension’s birthing centers provide maternity care with private labor-delivery-postpartum suites, around-the-clock on-site obstetric emergency care and neonatal support. The centers also provide wireless monitoring, birthing balls and tubs, neonatal intensive care unit access and lactation support.
Some locations hold Baby-Friendly designations, a certification awarded by Baby-Friendly USA in partnership with the World Health Organization and UNICEF to recognize hospitals that support breastfeeding and promote mother-infant bonding.