While building the new Inova Women’s Hospital in Falls Church, several contractors become parents themselves

Baby Boom

After more than three years of planning and construction, the newly expanded Inova Women’s Hospital is scheduled to open this January. Coincidentally, since breaking ground on construction in the summer of 2012, several members of the Clark Construction team, as well as other related Inova staff, have had children — an Inova Fairfax Medical Campus “baby boom,” if you will.

Ben Lord, the lead superintendent on the project, had two children born at Inova Women’s Hospital prior to the start of the project. His second daughter was born during the night after a 12-hour workday, and the construction site was even visible from the labor room. “It was a long day at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus,” says Lord. “My wife said it was a good thing it was nighttime, or else I would be running the project from there — which is probably true.”

Bernoullie Blaise-Doricent, a project manager, is the latest to join the parenting ranks. She delivered her daughter on June 6. Charlie Sursa, another superintendent, married to an Inova Women’s Hospital nurse; and Mark Corwin, a senior project manager, round out the list of new dads.

Is some of the vibe from the new Women’s Hospital rubbing off on the construction team? Possibly. It’s certainly a way to “build the future” — one new baby at a time.

Having Your Baby at Inova

To ensure mothers-to-be have the best possible childbirth experience, the newly expanded Women’s Hospital will feature all-private rooms for labor, delivery and postpartum; an expanded Antenatal Testing Center; a dedicated High-Risk Pregnancy Unit; and a 108-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Amenities will include many VIP and luxury options as well as enhanced WiFi, baby photos and lactation consultants.

For mothers who choose to breastfeed their newborns, Inova is committed to providing resources to help with that experience. One such resource is an expanded lactation center.

“The lactation center is an outpatient center that has a retail component where we can see patients who are having challenges with breastfeeding,” says Patricia Schmehl, RN, MSN, VP, Women’s Services, Inova Fairfax Medical Campus.

Thinking of Having a Baby?

Learn more about Inova’s wide variety of maternity services and locations at inova.org/baby.