SSM Health is taking a major step toward reshaping how mothers and medically fragile newborns receive care in the St. Louis region.
The health system announced plans to open the area’s first fully integrated maternal and newborn care center inside the new SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. The center will bring labor and delivery together with Level IV neonatal intensive care in one coordinated setting — allowing mothers and babies who need specialized treatment to stay in the same place from the moment of birth.
Set to open in late 2027, the center places labor and delivery just steps from advanced medical and surgical services. It’s built around a model that keeps mothers and newborns together in the same private room — even when the baby needs intensive care. The approach delivers the highest level of clinical support while easing the stress of separation and eliminating the need for post-delivery transfers.
“Spanning four floors inside the new children’s hospital, the center will include 18 maternal rooms, two cesarean delivery suites with fetal surgery capabilities, 10 maternal-newborn couplet rooms, and 90 Level IV NICU beds,” said Hossain Marandi, MD, MBA, FACHE, president of SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and system vice president of Pediatric Services. “When clinically appropriate, the couplet care model allows mothers and newborns receiving intensive care to remain together in the same private room, supporting bonding, breastfeeding, and maternal well-being while maintaining the highest standards of clinical safety.”
The center builds on the longstanding strength of the SSM Health St. Mary’s maternity program, preserving those services while bringing that expertise into a more fully integrated environment at Cardinal Glennon. Care will be supported by academic physicians from Saint Louis University School of Medicine and SSM Health SLUCare Physician Group. With a direct connection to SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, mothers will also have timely access to adult subspecialty expertise for pregnancies requiring a high level of clinical collaboration.
By embedding maternity care within a children’s hospital, SSM Health is establishing a new regional standard for coordinated care. In partnership with the Cardinal Glennon Fetal Care Institute, the model offers expert support for complex pregnancies and provides families with a more connected experience from pregnancy through delivery and newborn care.