Ochsner to open labor and delivery clinic

Ochsner Medical Center Baton Rouge plans to open a labor and delivery clinic in April, a move that will add about 75 employees to the staff. Mitch Wasden, CEO of the medical center, says patient rooms, two special operating rooms, a nursery and a neonatal ICU will be installed in the fourth floor of the medical center, located at Interstate 12 and O’Neal Lane. The renovations are expected to cost about $7.5 million. “One of the things we’re very committed to is women’s health,” Wasden says, adding that women make a majority of health care decisions for their family. The clinic will provide a place for women in Livingston Parish or the eastern part of East Baton Rouge Parish who want to give birth close to home. Ochsner projects about 1,000 babies will be delivered in the clinic during its first year.—Timothy Boone