Mothers Matter at San Manuel and Beyond
As we move into Mother’s Day weekend, we would like to take a moment to highlight the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ support for mothers both in the community and within the enterprise.
In 2019, the Tribe gifted Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital $25Million – the second-largest gift ever given to Loma Linda University Health. A new adult acute care hospital and Children’s Hospital facility, located on the fifth floor, has been named the San Manuel Maternity Pavilion in honor of the landmark gift.
This pavilion, which is expected to open in summer of 2021, will allow Children’s Hospital to continue as the leader in high-risk birth care in the region, with approximately 50 percent of births at the hospital being high-risk. The pavilion includes a triage space with nine rooms, an infant resuscitation area, labor and delivery rooms, and more. A sneak peek of the facilities can be seen here.
“San Manuel is grateful for the compassion shown to our elders by Loma Linda University Health many decades ago,” said Chairman Ken Ramirez. “We remain excited about the new opportunities and lifesaving care that the new Children’s Hospital will offer to our shared community and loved ones.”
Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, president of Loma Linda University Health, said this monumental gift would empower Loma Linda University Health to go forward into the future.
“The coming years will bring monumental changes to Loma Linda University Health, both in the physical landscape and in the practice of health care,” Hart said. “San Manuel’s support will have a profound impact on the tiniest and most vulnerable patients from our communities. Loma Linda University Health is inspired by this trust.”
Recently, San Manuel Casino took strides to provide additional comfort for mothers who have rejoined the workforce. Working mothers currently have access to three Mamava Pods (one that is handicap accessible), where they can pump milk during their shift. Senior VIP Services Representative, Sabrina Unruh, took advantage of the pods after returning from maternity leave in 2020.
“I found out I was going to be in the office after the pandemic and I was like, ‘how am I going to do that? Do I really want to pump at work with all the risk? Is it going to be safe?’” she said.
Unruh was quickly impressed at how relaxing and clean the experience was.
“You have to be calm and relaxed and you want that privacy because it’s important to relax your mind and body so it can do the job. The pod helps,” she said.
As an extra step of support, the San Manuel Engagement Task Force began providing Mamava cooler backpacks in September 2020 to assist mothers in transporting and storing pumping equipment and milk. Since they were introduced, 11 moms have received backpacks.
Generous philanthropic efforts in the community and support for team members are just a few ways that help San Manuel shine as an employer. To learn more about our benefits and current job openings, please visit our careers website.