St. Luke’s East Welcomes 20,000th Baby

     When the first baby was born at Saint Luke’s East Hospital in February 2006, it represented the first baby delivered in Lee’s Summit in 60 years.  Since that time, the doctors and labor and delivery nurses have assisted moms from 54 counties in 20 different states welcome new additions to their families.
     The hospital recently delivered its 20,000th baby and took the opportunity to celebrate in a big way.
     A billboard at I-470 and Hwy. 291 kept a running tally of babies born, counting up to the 20,000th delivery.
     Staff got in the spirit by wearing “Team Boy” or “Team Girl” stickers based on what they thought the gender of the 20,000th baby would be.
     A contest inviting the community to guess the baby’s birthday and gender was held, with the winner receiving a gift card to local businesses in downtown Lee’s Summit. The hospital also engaged with members of the community on social media, welcoming photos of babies delivered at St. Luke’s Hospital and recognizing the doctors and labor and delivery nurses at St. Luke’s East.
     The 20,000th baby arrived on June 11th. Dr. Rocco Florio delivered baby Nevaeh, who officially became the 20,000th baby delivered at Saint Luke’s East Hospital.
     Saint Luke’s East celebrated with a hospital wide birthday party with cake, cupcakes and cookies donated by Lee’s Summit bakeries. Saint Luke’s leadership presented mom with a gift basket filled with goodies and a special 20K commemorative swaddle for baby.    
     The entire hospital will be lit pink at night for a week to celebrate Nevaeh’s arrival.
     Saint Luke’s East Hospital is a 201 bed facility located at the corner of Interstate 470 and Douglas Street in Lee’s Summit.
 

Pictured above: Annie McCarthy, RN, the nurse who delivered the first Saint Luke’s East baby and is still delivering babies at the hospital today. McCarthy is pictured with baby Navaeh, the 20,000th baby born at St. Luke’s East Hospital, and Navaeh’s proud mom. Below: the hospital is lit pink at night to celebrate Navaeh’s arrival.  Photos courtesy of St. Luke’s East Hospital