Contact: Media@bannerhealth.com
MESA, Ariz. (Aug. 24, 2018) -- Banner Desert Medical Center had a baby shower on Friday in honor of the 16 Intensive Care Unit nurses who are pregnant at the same time.
“We all knew each other, but we’ve bonded a lot over this past week,” said nurse Ashley Adkins, whose baby is due in October. “Our conversation went from taking a group photo together, to the best types of nursing bras and who our OB doctors are.”
The baby shower was a small, private event at the hospital, located at 1400 S. Dobson Road. The nurses have received worldwide media interest and positive support from across the globe on social media. They’ve been balancing requests for interviews while treating many of the hospital’s most critical patients.
Most of the nurses are due between October and January. Non-pregnant medical staff have been assisting patients with conditions or treatments that are potentially dangerous for expectant women.
Banner Health has a pool of floating nurses to ensure shifts are covered when the nurses take 12-week maternity leave beginning this fall.
About Banner Desert Medical Center
Banner Desert Medical Center is a nonprofit hospital in Mesa, Arizona, providing a range of inpatient and outpatient services, including emergency services, Level I trauma care, cancer care, heart care, orthopedics, women and infant services, rehabilitation, neurological care and more. The medical center is one of the most comprehensive hospitals in Arizona and serves as a regional referral center in the East Valley of metropolitan Phoenix. The medical campus is also home to Cardon Children’s Medical Center. Both facilities are owned and operated by Banner Health, the largest provider of health care services in Arizona. For more information, visit www.BannerHealth.com/Desert.