NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso Break Ground on $20 Million Labor and Birthing Suite Renovation
Borough President Reynoso gave $45 Million in FY23 to renovate the labor and delivery units at all 3 of the health system’s Brooklyn hospitals The hospital recently appointed Dr. Wendy Wilcox, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOG as Chief of OB/GYN; she is also the health care system’s Chief Women’s Health Officer
Aug 21, 2025
NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso today broke ground on a $20 million renovation to the hospital’s Labor and Birthing Suite, supported by $11 million from the Borough President. Expected to be complete in the fall of 2027, the renovated unit will offer patients a new family comfort space to support mother’s partner and family, and for the first time, the hospital will offer birthing center rooms with birthing tubs for hydrotherapy during labor. A renovated and reorganized recovery area, nurse station and medicine room will promote better collaboration across the Midwifery, Nursing, and Physician teams. The upgraded operating room suite will be larger to accommodate more equipment and a better workflow, and the space will include a new simulation lab for staff to practice scenarios they may encounter during delivery. The space will also include renovated staff break room, locker rooms, staff bathroom and on-call rooms. Woodhull Hospital has a busy labor and delivery unit with nearly 1,000 births in 2024. Construction will take place in phases to ensure that patients can continue receiving care uninterrupted during the renovation.
“Every family in Brooklyn deserves to welcome their child into the world in a safe, comfortable, and supportive environment,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “This investment is about more than new, high-tech facilities; it’s about creating better outcomes, especially for our most vulnerable communities, and building a healthcare system that new and expecting parents can trust. I’m proud to break ground on this project and excited to see the difference it will make for Brooklyn’s parents and newborns. Thank you to Dr. Mitchell Katz, Sandra Sneed, and Dr. Wendy Wilcox for making this possible.”
“At NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, we are deeply committed to ensuring that every mother, baby, and family in North Brooklyn receives the highest-quality care in a safe and welcoming environment,” said Sandra Sneed, MBA, FACHE, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. “This renovation represents an important investment in the future of maternal health and reflects our dedication to patient-centered care. We are grateful to Borough President Reynoso for his ongoing advocacy and support, and we look forward to opening a state-of-the-art Labor and Birthing Suite that will bring comfort, innovation, and excellence in care to the families we serve. We appreciate his generosity and recognition of Woodhull as a vital hospital for the North Brooklyn community.”
“We are so grateful to the Borough President for providing the funding to upgrade and beautify this unit,” said Dr. Lisa Scott-McKenzie, DHA, CEM, FABC, FACHE, COO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. “Our patients and staff will benefit greatly from the improved aesthetics as well as the introduction of a birthing center with tubs, newly renovated operating rooms, state of the art technology including a simulation lab, enlarged nurses’ station and ensuite on call rooms for staff. Upon completion, we are eager to invite our community residents to tour the upgrades and to choose Woodhull as they enlarge their families.”
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso for his generous support of NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull,” said Wendy Wilcox, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOG, Chief of OB/GYN at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. “Borough President Reynoso’s investment in renovating our Labor and Birthing Unit affirms his deep commitment to maternal health and Brooklyn families. These physical upgrades to our Labor and Birthing Unit, made possible by Borough President Reynoso’s support, beautifully complement the ongoing clinical and operational improvements underway. Together, these changes will elevate both the environment and the quality of care we provide to birthing families.”
“At NYC Health + Hospitals, we know that continued investment in our facilities is crucial to the communities we serve. These upgrades to the physical environment of Woodhull’s Labor and Birthing Suite will allow for a higher level of service and experience for the families of North Brooklyn,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Vice President of the Office of Facilities Development Manuel Saez, PhD. “Thank you to Borough President Reynoso for the generous contribution to the health and wellness of our staff, patients, and newest New Yorkers.”
The renovations to Woodhull Hospital’s Labor and Delivery unit follow recent changes in leadership at the hospital, which welcomed a new CEO in late March and recently announced new clinical leadership, including a new Chief of OB/GYN and a new Chief of Anesthesiology.
In Fiscal Year 2023, Borough President Reynoso gave $45 million to NYC Health + Hospitals to renovate the labor and delivery units at its three Brooklyn hospitals: NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, and NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health. This marked the first time a Borough President has ever allocated an entire fiscal year’s capital funding to one cause, and within one city organization.
Black women in New York City face a maternal mortality rate eight times higher than that of their white counterparts, a disparity that Borough President Reynoso first learned about at Woodhull Hospital when he and his wife were expecting their first child. Since then, the BP has advanced a comprehensive agenda to make Brooklyn the safest place in the city to give birth, establishing a Maternal Health Task Force, funding a public education campaign, investing in public hospital infrastructure, and making resources more accessible to families through programs like the “Born in Brooklyn” baby boxes and Community Baby Shower Fund. His most recent initiative, a partnership with Brooklyn College, created the state’s first Advanced Certificate in Perinatal Mental Health, preparing professionals to better support new and expecting parents.
###
MEDIA CONTACT: Press Office
#144-25
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull
NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, part of the NYC Health + Hospitals health care system, is the major tertiary care provider in the borough of Brooklyn. It is a premiere health care organization for key specialties, including surgery, cardiology, women’s health, pediatrics, rehabilitation medicine, renal services, and behavioral health services. Last year, the hospital received close to 480,000 ambulatory care visits and close to 100,000 emergency room visits. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/woodhull.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation, serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.