THOMASVILLE — Excitement was in the air on Tuesday evening as Archbold unveiled and dedicated its long-awaited Maternity Center on the second floor of the historic wing.

The Archbold Maternity Center began as a capital campaign project in 2022 when the Archbold Foundation began working on its Centennial Campaign to celebrate the facility’s 100th anniversary.

Nearly 215 donors came together during the campaign to help raise crucial funding for the $20 million project, which is highly considered a huge investment in Archbold’s future that will pay dividends to all those who use it.

President and CEO of Archbold Darcy Craven welcomed everyone in attendance, speaking on the preservation of the facility’s history, while working to upgrade its appearance.

“The architects originally told us they couldn’t do this,” Craven said. “Part of this is the original 1925 hospital and they were going to have to gut all of it.”

Nevertheless, Craven still asked the architects to come up with a plan. They returned with a vision for a Maternity Center triple the size of what Archbold currently had. The plan included five labor and delivery rooms, two operating suites for emergency and planned births via cesarean section, two recovery rooms for use after a cesarean section, 11 mother/baby rooms, three treatment rooms for outpatient visits and monitoring, a 2,199 square-foot nursery space, and a newly added bereavement room in honor of Emerson Rae Glass.

“We are so thankful we can give this gift to the community who deserves so much,” Craven said.

President of the  Archbold Foundation Vann Middleton echoed Craven’s statements on what an exciting time this was for the community.

“If you think about it, the only time that a patient and their family are happy to be in the hospital is when there is an anticipated birth of a child,” he said. “Archbold wants to be able to offer the finest experience possible with all the comforts of “home” for the parents who choose to start or add to their families here.”

When considering all the amenities that needed to be added to the Maternity Center, Middleton was approached by the Glass family who suggested Archbold consider its first bereavement room.

In February 2021, Kaleigh and Allen Glass lost their newborn baby daughter- Emerson Rae due to complications in childbirth.

“The inexplicable grief that comes with losing a child is unimaginable,” Middleton said. “The nursing staff at Archbold was able to quickly secure borrowing a cuddle cot from Archbold Grady Hospital for the family so that they could spend precious time to see and hold their sweet daughter.”

After their loss, the Glass family embarked on a mission to raise money to pay for another cuddle cot for Archbold’s Maternity Center, looking to give another family the gift of time with their child in the way it was given to them.

However, they still longed to give families a place of their own to grieve, aside from the hustle and bustle happening in the labor and delivery area.

Several months ago Kaleigh and Allen approached Middleton about raising money through a special event to benefit the Maternity Center. Through their efforts they raised over $80,000. Out of those funds was born the Emerson Rae Glass Bereavement Room- a place of peace, love, and light.

“Named in honor of Emerson Rae, whose brief light reminds us that love, though sometimes fleeting is never lost,” Middleton said. “May this space offer comfort, hope, and healing to every heart that enters.”

Middleton also thanked other donors who made a gift or donation to make this special space available to all families.

Lauren Giddens, RN, and Mother/Baby Unit Base Educator also noted what a wonderful addition the space would be, along with the Maternity Center’s community education room, which is set to be named in memory of Archbold Director of Engineering Clay Newman’s daughter Alissa.

“Today we are not just dedicating a new Maternity Center, but fortifying our commitment to mothers, newborns, and families within our community that we serve,” she said. “Out of all the services that we provide, the Maternity Center represents new beginnings and new life.”

After years of hard work, revisions, and planning, Giddens was thrilled to welcome that new beginning to her team of obstetricians and providers.

“In these walls, you will find the latest medical technology, allowing our skilled healthcare professionals to take care of our patients safely, effectively, and efficiently,” she said. “However, technology alone is not enough, we wanted to provide a place of peace and most importantly the spirit of compassion that comes from our team daily.”

It is the same compassion that has guided Archbold since its inception 100 years ago, and Giddens said she believes that compassion will be ever present in the new Maternity Center for years to come.

Following a round of applause, doctors, nurses, and assistants were invited to cut the ribbon, officially beginning a new chapter in the Archbold Maternity Center.