Drew Memorial Health System Dedicates Olivia Faith Beebe Nursery

MONTICELLO, ARK. (June 19, 2018) – In a private family reception and ceremony Monday, Drew Memorial Health System formally dedicated the Olivia Faith Beebe Nursery.

Olivia Faith was the daughter of Sally and Ryan Beebe of Cabot. Around the first birthday of their son, Elijah, the couple was thrilled to find out they were expecting their second child in the spring of 2015. Tragically, Olivia Faith was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, which resulted in stillbirth shortly before her due date.

A gift in her memory was given to Drew Memorial by her grandparents, Wayne and Mellie Jo Owen of Monticello, to help provide local families with all possible comforts as they celebrate the birth of a child.

“Being the parents of an angel baby is a role that no one expects to be in,” said Sally Beebe. But Sally and Ryan quickly poured their full efforts into supporting other families experiencing similar grief.

“Our family was heartbroken, but we saw how Sally and Ryan devoted themselves to comforting other parents and families who were suffering from similar devastating loss,” said Mellie Jo Owen. “We felt called to make a gift in memory of their daughter, our granddaughter, Olivia Faith.”

They came to the decision to provide funds to Drew Memorial to help fund the expansion of the hospital’s original nursery. The gift helped triple the size of the nursery, offering local families a modern and spacious facility in which to welcome a new life.

“On behalf of the Drew Memorial Health System, I offer our sincere appreciation to the Beebe and Owen families for their commitment to advancing access and quality health care in Southeast Arkansas and beyond,” said Scott Barrilleaux, CEO. “We are grateful to dedicate this nursery to Olivia Faith Beebe, and look forward to celebrating the precious gift of new life among neighbors, friends and family for generations to come.”

The Olivia Faith Beebe Nursery includes a labor, delivery and recovery unit that was relocated and expanded to three times the size of the current unit. It is part of a $31 million expansion that Drew Memorial began in September 2016 that includes a larger surgery center with six operating rooms, two dedicated C-section suites, and pre-op and post-op areas. The project also offers a more convenient outpatient clinic, allowing for two visiting specialists to hold clinic hours simultaneously. The main entrance and the auxiliary-operated gift shop were also expanded in size. The new facility was unveiled May 25.