Community members born at Beverly Hospital as early as 1944 and as recently as 2017 joined hundreds at a reunion celebration on February 10th. Margaret Kirby, known as “Peggy” by her friends, was the belle of the ball as the “most golden” Beverly Baby. Born in 1944, her attendance was particularly special because she was born five years before the hospital was formally established in 1949. This is possible only because of Beverly Hospital’s unique history of starting as a maternity cottage before being established as an acute care hospital in 1949.
Other notable babies present included Sandra Molina, journalist for Whittier Daily News; Jerry Banuelos, City of Montebello Manager and Lion’s Club of Montebello prior President; Loretta Rihbany, “Miss Beverly” who was born at the hospital, had her first volunteer experience at Beverly as a candy striper, and made a career home of it after becoming a nurse. The list of other notable Beverly Babies include Kevin McClure, Montebello Police Chief; Jack Hadjinian Montebello City Council Member; and Benjamin Perez, singer, who emceed the event’s ceremony.
One of the event highlights was the opportunity to tour the renovated 18- bed Hensel Maternity Center. Prior to renovation, the maternity wing had 40 beds in semiprivate rooms which have now been transformed to18 spacious, private suites for a more comfortable and family-centered experience. Each of the suites has its own private bathroom, shower, and includes a comfortable, fully reclining chair.
“Over the last three decades, Beverly Hospital has delivered approximately 35,000 Beverly babies. With our maternity suite renovation, our goal is to provide mothers, babies and families with privacy, comfort and relaxing environment to celebrate the milestone occasion,” said Alice Cheng, president and CEO of Beverly Hospital. “As a community hospital, we strive to go above and beyond to provide exceptional patient experience.”
Among the various high quality improvements, the hospital also recently opened a 10-bed Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Within it, more than $1 million in advanced equipment and technology has been installed, including high-tech monitors designed for the unique needs of tiny babies, ventilators, incubators and other specialized devices. This is in addition to being one of the few hospitals in the area which offers a private suite to every single mom delivering in its maternity wing
