Doylestown Health Opens Morel Family Foundation Center for Prenatal Care

Doylestown Health officially opened the Morel Family Foundation Center for Prenatal Care at Doylestown Hospital on September 12, 2022.

In our new, expanded location on the ground floor of Doylestown Hospital, the Morel Family Foundation Center for Prenatal Care affords more space for diagnostic testing, privacy, and comfort for expecting mothers, as well as convenient access to the parking garage. Morel Prenatal Care includes the most advanced equipment and technology to support a healthy pregnancy, and enhanced amenities for an improved patient experience. Adjacent to our new center is the Beck Family Classroom offering an array of prenatal and postpartum education opportunities for new families.

A New Start for Families

“For many growing families, the prenatal testing area is their first exposure to the hospital,” notes VIA Maternity Center Clinical Manager Pauline Canelli, RNC-OB, BSN. “The new center is welcoming. The environment and the staff let these families know we are here to take care of them, that they are going to become part of the hospital family.”

The Morel Family Foundation Center for Prenatal Care features: 

• 3,336 square feet of new construction with additional space to accommodate patients efficiently and comfortably
• The Beck Family Classroom located adjacent to the center measures 1,173 square feet of new construction
• Three ultrasound rooms, two non-stress test rooms and one observation room – all private
• An additional exam room, offices, conference rooms, staff room and storage compared to former prenatal testing center location
• A new lactation support room where women can consult with a lactation specialist

• Comfortable furnishings and amenities to create a welcoming and healing environment for patients and loved ones alike.
  
  

“At Doylestown Health, we value women and children and want families to have a positive experience,” says Pauline. “The new center, with an emphasis on comfort and privacy, helps create a better start to the family.”

With the additional space, Morel Prenatal Care expects to be able to accommodate more patient visits exceeding the current 10,000 visits per year, thus serving more patients in need of prenatal services.

Learning Through the Beck Family Classroom

The Beck Family Classroom is the physical location for Doylestown Health’s “Path to Parenthood” program that includes in-person and virtual education opportunities and support groups. Comfortable furniture and a library area in the flexible new space create a family-centered environment for learning and sharing. Classes include Childbirth 101 and 102; Breastfeeding classes; Parenting and the Newborn; a Postpartum Mother’s Group, and Healthy Eating and Meal Planning for Expectant Parents. Current support groups include a weekly breastfeeding group.

“It feels really good that we have this place we can grow with,” says Parent Education Coordinator Marlene Rosenblum, RN, CCE, CIMI. “We have plans for future growth of our educational and support programs that we are excited to develop.”

Future programs being developed include prenatal yoga, Mommy and Me Yoga, infant massage and Starting Solids. Also in the works is a Path to Perinatal Mental Health focusing on the first year postpartum. “We want this program to be a bridge to help parents emotionally and socially deal with all the changes that come with the first year,” says Marlene.

About Doylestown Health’s VIA Maternity Center

Doylestown Health’s VIA Maternity Center is rated among the best in the region for maternity care with services available for every stage of pregnancy through the birth experience. The VIA Maternity Center features a 32-bed maternity unit that includes 9 labor, delivery & recovery rooms, 22 private post-partum rooms, and a Level II NICU staffed by CHOP neonatologists.

The Morel Family Foundation Center for Prenatal Care provides testing and evaluation services using innovative technology to determine the health of mom and baby prior to birth. Our services for high-risk pregnancies are provided on-site by an experienced maternal fetal medicine specialist (perinatologist).