Delivering more: Baptist Jacksonville’s high-risk labor and delivery unit renovations are underway

Baptist Jacksonville is expanding the Chartrand Frisch Family Birth & Newborn Center to provide additional high-risk labor and delivery resources to meet the community’s projected growth.

The significant project is being completed in multiple phases:

1. Phase One (completed in July 2024) – Four dedicated maternity exam rooms for evaluation and observation, plus a dedicated surgical pre- and post-operative recovery area.
2. Phase Two (currently underway; expected to open in September 2025) – Twelve additional labor and delivery rooms designed to accommodate mothers with high-risk pregnancies who need care prior to delivery. This unit is in close proximity to the operating room, if needed, and has a dedicated OB/GYN available 24/7.

“As our community grows, so do we,” said Michael A. Mayo, DHA, FACHE, president and CEO of Baptist Health. “We understand that welcoming a child to the world is one of life’s most precious and profound experiences – full of joy and sometimes uncertainty. That’s why we’re committed to providing top-tier facilities backed by exceptional team to support families every step of the way.”

As the Northeast Florida area continues to experience unprecedented population growth and maternal age increases across the U.S., research shows an expected rise in high-risk pregnancies. From 2023 to 2033, OB inpatient care in the Jacksonville area is forecast to increase by nearly 6% and high-risk OB cases are expected to increase by more than 15%. This represents more than 1,000 additional mothers needing specialized care.

“For generations, Baptist Health has been the top choice of mothers to deliver their babies,” said Nicole B. Thomas, FACHE, hospital president of Baptist Jacksonville. “Our goal in updating the Center is to provide enhanced access to critically needed maternity and high-risk obstetrics services and to connect moms experiencing high-risk pregnancies with the highest-level neonatal care in the region at Wolfson Children’s.”

The expansion of the Chartrand Frisch Family Birth & Newborn Center on the Baptist Jacksonville campus will directly connect maternity and high-risk obstetric care to the specialized 87-bed neonatal system in the Borowy Family Children’s Critical Care Tower at Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

“Parents can take comfort knowing Wolfson Children’s offers highly skilled staff and state-of-the-art technology in all of our Neonatal Intensive Care Units across the health system, including the highest level of neonatal care in the Borowy Family Children’s Critical Care Tower,” said Allegra C. Jaros, MBA, president of Wolfson Children’s. “With Baptist Jacksonville and Wolfson Children's together in one location, parents can rest assured we work together to aim for top-decile care for both mother and baby in everything we do.”

Chartrand and Frisch families led with commitment to high-risk OB and neonatal care

Mark and Meredith Frisch know how important access to expert neonatal and high-risk obstetric care is. From their first child Lyla’s NICU stay at Baptist South in 2011 to the premature birth of twins Abby and Hannah in 2012 at Baptist Jacksonville, the Frisch family is deeply grateful for the life-saving care they received at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Baptist Health.

The Frisch family, which now also includes a son named Emmitt, was so inspired by the care they received, they made a generous gift to help fund the renovations to the Baptist Jacksonville Maternal Newborn Unit when it opened in 2021. The Chartrand and Frisch families helped inspire many others to give, making the 2021 project possible.

Community support drives expansion of services

To expand offerings of vital high-risk services in this new expansion, Baptist Health has set a philanthropy goal of $5 million. Recently, gifts from the Hutson Family and a collective effort by friends in honor of Duval County Judge and former Baptist Health senior executive Audrey McKibbin Moran have helped push closer to this goal. Community support is crucial in helping to meet this target which will provide resources to match the growing high-risk pregnancy needs of the Jacksonville community. To contribute to this important initiative, please visit this link.