2023 Marks Record Number of Births at Sauk Prairie Healthcare
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Pictured are many of Sauk Prairie Healthcare’s Birth Center team members at a recent meeting: (back row) Jackie Johnson-Kruse, Alexi Suchla, Bridget Dollar, Haley Carner, Alissa Grauvogl, Sarah Jorgenson, and Kate Neverman; (center row) Angela Meise, Tracey Brownlee, Paige Ederer, and Tammrin Richards; (front row) Wendy Kinney, Alyssa Ballweg, Jessie Ryan, and Brie Alt.
Sauk Prairie Healthcare delivered 423 babies in 2023 – the highest number of births in the hospital’s 67-year history. The large number of deliveries is a significant increase over 2022 when 381 babies were delivered.
When the hospital opened at its new location in 2014, about 300 babies were delivered annually. With an approximately 40% increase in births, Sauk Prairie Healthcare is renovating its Birth Center to accommodate the increased volume, adding two more Labor, Delivery, Recovery, and Postpartum (LDRP) rooms, for a total of seven LDRPs plus two other women’s care patient rooms.
“We’re pleased to be able to expand our Birth Center, especially as many rural and community hospitals across the nation have had to close their birthing units due to lack of providers and staff, decreasing numbers of births, or decreased reimbursement from governmental and commercial payers,” said Shawn Lerch, CEO of Sauk Prairie Healthcare. “Our staff are dedicated to providing exceptional care to new and growing families.”
Of the 423 babies, 213 were girls and 210 were boys, and there were seven sets of twins. The biggest baby weighed in at 10 pounds, 5.8 ounces, and the smallest was just 3 pounds, 5.6 ounces.
The most popular names given to the newborns varied from traditional to modern. For boys, the top names were Oliver, Camden, and William. For girls, the top names included Ava, Lainey, and Evelyn.
Five providers deliver babies at Sauk Prairie Healthcare’s Birth Center, including Obstetrician/Gynecologists Dr. Todd Shad and Dr. Kristine Bathke, and Family Medicine physicians Dr. Maribeth Baker, Dr. Mary Campbell, and Dr. Tom Varley.