PPH dedicates women's center at Pomerado Hospital

By: ANDREA MOSS - Staff Writer
Facility will offer an array of medical services, programs for females | Friday, January 18, 2008 11:30 PM PST ∞

POWAY -- About 200 invited guests got a preview Thursday of a women's center at Pomerado Hospital that will serve new mothers, breast cancer patients and females with other health concerns.

Hospital officials, doctors, nurses and donors were among those who attended a dedication ceremony for the Jean McLaughlin Women's Center for Health and Healing.

Scheduled to start treating patients by the end of the month, the $14 million facility occupies the entire first floor -- or 10,406 square feet -- of an outpatient services pavilion that opened behind the hospital in May.

The center brings a long list of women's medical services and resources together under one roof. A breast care center is a major part of the facility.

Also available are perinatal testing, breast-feeding consultations, nutrition and weight management programs, and doctors who specialize in difficult pregnancies.

Other programs focus on heart, bone and bladder health; stroke and diabetes prevention; and women's health education.

And the center has a small spa offering relaxing treatments to women undergoing chemo or other stressful medical care; a store selling prosthetic breasts, wigs, breast pumps and similar items; and a lending library full of health-related books and other materials.

The facility bears the name of a Rancho Bernardo woman who died in 2003 at the age of 83, after a long illness. Her husband, Matthew McLaughlin, set up a $4 million trust to help build the women's center, in honor of his wife. The gift was on top of nearly $5 million worth of other donations the couple had made to the district.

"It feels just wonderful," a beaming Matthew McLaughlin said about seeing his dream come to fruition.

Guests who toured the center found themselves walking down a long hall softened by curved, glass walls, punctuated by waiting areas filled with small groupings of comfortable chairs, benches and tables that would fit equally well into a private home.

Fabrics, wall paint and accessories in shades of teal, brown, tan and brown provided soft color.

The color scheme extended into exam, mammogram and ultrasound rooms, small family education rooms, a community classroom and other areas in the center, and simple accessories with more softly curved shapes added a homey touch.

Craig McInroy, who directed the project on behalf of architectural firm Anchen + Allen, and Christine Flick, an interior designer with the company, said the look was the result of Palomar Pomerado Chief Executive Officer Michael Covert's challenge to create something that looked like it was part of the hospitality industry, rather than a typical medical office.

Center employees said the comprehensive nature of its programs and its location in the outpatient services pavilion offer women another important benefit: the chance for their doctors to collaborate when it comes to their treatments.

Shari Silady, a registered lactation consultant, offered an example of how that might work when she talked about new moms who might need help figuring how to breast-feed newborns.

"What's nice about this, if we find a baby that's underweight or having a problem, we can send them right up to (pediatrics)," she said, referring to doctors' offices on another floor in the building. "And if they see a baby having trouble and they think those problems are because of a feeding problem, they can send them right down here. That's the beauty of it."

The center's grand opening will be Feb. 9. The public can tour the facility from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the event, which will feature free health screenings, children's activities, exhibits, and refreshments.

Pomerado Hospital is at 15611 Pomerado Road in Poway. Call (800) 628-2880 or log on to www.pph.org/women for information.

Contact staff writer Andrea Moss at (760) 739-6654 or amoss@nctimes.com.