Banner Lassen Medical Center greeted the hospital’s first baby of 2016 on January 4th, 2016, at 10:31 p.m.
A baby boy, Michael Scott Urata, was born to Kerri Sasser and Michael Urata of Chester. Young Michael is welcomed home by four siblings: Haley, 15; Emma, 8; Sean, 9 and Tyler, 3. He was delivered by Steven Braatz, MD. Michael, who was originally due to arrive Jan. 20, weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces and was 18 inches long.
Banner Lassen closed out 2015 with a total of 233 births. There were 99 girls, 134 boys and two sets of twins. In 2014, 271 babies were born at the hospital.
Hospital staff members donated baby items to create a gift basket for the first baby of the year. The items were collected at a Women and Infant Services Department baby shower hosted by one of the department nurses, Julie Wedemeyer, RN, and the hospital events committee.