St Joseph's Hospital

Information gathered November, 2000 - updated 4/2001

GENERAL
Address: 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix (corner of 3rd Avenue and Thomas Rd.)
Main phone #:602-406-3000
L&D phone #: OB Triage (for initial assessment)– 602-406-3521,
High Risk 602-406-3511 ,
LDR (for contacting normal patients already admitted) 406-3890
Directions from a major freeway/street: -
Parking information (where do you park? are there any parking fees?): Several parking garages...$2 fee for anything over 2-3 hours...fee is good for 24 hours.
L&D location (floor, how to get there from parking lot): All delivery rooms are on the 5th floor (4th floor is post partum) - do not go in the main enterance, but there is a an entrance to the right of the main entrance, you just have to follow the sidewalk up.

AMENITIES
What kind of rooms? (L&D, LDRP..) They no longer have the birthing center that they used to have.
Their rooms are separated into two sections: For normal pregnancies they have 8 LDRs. For high risk pregnancies they have 5 L&D rooms. The 5 rooms that used to be the birthing center are being used as "overflow" rooms, and they are LDR as well. "Sleepers" (chairs that can make into a twin size bed) are available for dads.
Cafeteria hours/what is their food like: -
Refreshments available at L&D: (juice? coffee? snacks?) juice, coffee, frozen meals (for post delivery during non-cafeteria hours), soda, jello + vending machines
Microwave available? yes
TV/VCR/CD available? TVs in every room. 2 VCR's available. 1 CD player on 5th floor and 1 on 4th floor…first come first serve
Showers/Tubs/Jacuzzis in rooms? On floor? waterbirth available? High risk - shares shower between 2 rooms...LDR - shower in every room- overflow rooms - 2 rooms share a shower between 2, and one is private and he other two don't have showers.
Telemetry units available? waterproof telemetry? No
Birth Balls provided? Yes
Birthing stools available? No
Does this hospital have a doula program? No
What level of nursery does it have? Level 3 - highest possible
Can newborn assessments be done bedside? Yes in LDR's. Bathing can be done bedside, but parents have to specifically ask for it.
Is baby taken to nursery? if so, how soon and for how long? Yes - at about 6 hours after delivery, for as long as extensive assessment take (hearing, bath, hepB shot). Babies room in once moms are in their postpartum rooms.
Can both partner and doula attend cesareans? Up to attending doctors….has happened, but also has been denied.

POLICIES
Eating/drinking in labor? Up to attending doctor – LDR, liquids only – birthing rooms, up to parents.
Fetal monitoring? 30 min. strip on admittance…2- 15 minute strip every 90 minutes until active labor, then continuous. Another nurse said that she commonly does 30 minutes on the monitor, 30 minutes off.
IV/heplock: 95% get IV. That number is possibly higher. They said that it's very rare that someone does not get an IV.
Walking after rupture of membranes? After monitoring baby, and if baby is at low enough station, walking is fine.
Pushing positions: squat bars available.

STATISTICS
Epidural rate LDR ...unconfirmed approximately 70%
VBAC rate - -
Cesarean rate - -
How many births a month/year are done here? Approximately 500 births a month
COMMENTS FROM DOULAS WHO HAVE ATTENDED THERE- "VERY large and VERY busy hospital..which means it is much more business-like than some smaller hospitals might be."
These photos show a standard room at St Joseph's Hospital.
A typical bathroom: note the chair in the shower.

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