Gila Regional Medical Center is now offering something special to new Moms and their guest of choice – a steak dinner to celebrate the arrival of a new community member. Moms and their guests are treated to linen‚ flowers and a delicious meal – possibly their last peaceful meal as they get ready to take a new baby home from GRMC.

""I was absolutely amazed‚"" said new Dad Tony Wilson‚ ""I just couldn’t believe it when they wheeled in this incredible meal.""

All jokes about hospital food aside‚ GRMC is offering this gift to new parents as part of the Planetree Initiative. ""We feel it is important to honor new life‚"" said program organizer Cathy Woodard‚ RN‚ ""It’s our way of welcoming all the babies that are born here at GRMC and of creating a healing environment for all our new parents. It has been very well received so far.""

GRMC is the first hospital in New Mexico to be selected as a Planetree hospital. The focus of Planetree is to provide excellent patient care in a healing environment. To this end‚ GRMC has refurbished hospital rooms to make them more cozy and homelike‚ offers Pet Therapy and Caring Clowns to patients‚ has soothing music throughout the hospital‚ and has turned the hospital in to an art gallery for local artists. These are just a few of the Planetree Initiative programs currently being implemented.

""As a Planetree organization our goal is to provide care and services in a personalized‚ humanized and demystified way‚"" says Dan Otero‚ Director of Planetree. ""Our New Life Program is our way of saying congratulations to the new parents‚ and a way of letting them know that Gila Regional Medical Center is also their local healthcare family for all generations.""

""It has been a great experience‚"" said new mom Amber Dion Wilson.