Deployed Dad Watches Birth

Newburgh, NY – When mom-to-be Brittney Lopez arrived at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital (SLCH)  for the birth of her first child, she had a special request: have husband, Justin Fowler, a Military police officer deployed by the Army National Guard be a part of the birth from Afghanistan. 

The SLCH team quickly started planning to make this request a reality. With much coordination the SLCH Birthing Center staff, Dr. Andrei Munzer, Dr. Stephen Cestari, Information Technology (IT) Supervisor Dan Bacher and IT Associate JayAr Calderon were able to connect Brittney and Justin via FaceTime, allowing them to experience the birth of their son together. 

“Justin was able to be with me before, during and after labor,” said Brittney. “I am so happy that we got to experience it together.” 

St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital was recently named a Most Wired Hospital for the fourth consecutive year, a tribute to its IT infrastructure. 

“Patient centered care is our focus at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital,” said Joan Cusack-McGuirk, SLCH President and CEO. “We are so proud to be able to provide our patients and their families with high quality care and advanced technologies.  

Mr. Fowler has been deployed since May 2017.The couple resides in the Town of Newburgh. 

About St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital 

St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital (SLCH) is a not-for-profit community hospital with campuses in Newburgh and Cornwall, NY. The hospital is dedicated to serving the health care needs of the Hudson Valley and has achieved excellence in the delivery of compassionate and comprehensive health care services. SLCH is also recognized as an industry leader in using information technology to improve patient care, by winning the Most Wired Award for the second year in a row. In January 2018, SLCH officially partnered with Montefiore Health System to strengthen the delivery of health care locally and enhance access to exceptional specialty care for Hudson Valley residents.