Bringing a new life into the world is potentially the most profound, yet entirely unpredictable event a woman will ever experience. Medical advancements have made childbirth much safer, but it can feel disconnected from the intimate experience most mothers hope for.
The Birthplace Concierge at AdventHealth Castle Rock bridges that gap so mothers and babies receive high-level medical care hand in hand with personalized support, making childbirth an empowering and transformative journey.
This focus on personalized care builds deep trust and connection. Consider Lone Tree resident Anna Gorka. Anna turned to the Birthplace Concierge program for two significantly different deliveries: the grueling, 27-hour induced delivery of her firstborn, Diana, in 2022, and the "precipitous" three-hour labor with her son, William, in September 2025. After such a positive initial experience, she returned to the Castle Rock team for her second birth without hesitation.
"We loved everything about our experience there," Gorka says. "So we knew it was worth it, even though it was further away than some of the other hospital options closer to us."
That exceptional care was conceived by Birthplace Concierge founder and current Director of Women's Services, Jacque Northrup. Before joining the AdventHealth Castle Rock team, Northrup worked as a labor and delivery nurse. Tasked with leading standard group tours, she found the sessions impersonal, crowded, and chaotic. Visitors felt disconnected and rarely asked sensitive questions in front of strangers.
When Northrup joined AdventHealth Castle Rock in 2013, the concierge service was born. At the time, management and administration teams supported her vision of creating private, one-on-one tours for expectant families. She quickly confirmed what she had long suspected: individual tours offered the opportunity to ask personal questions and share concerns that parents withheld in large groups.
“The grand opening of the Castle Rock hospital corresponded with a transformation that was happening in the community,” Northrup says. “Young families were moving here, seeking a tight-knit, small-town feel, alongside the convenience and proximity to Denver, which allowed this one-of-a-kind program to blossom.”
What started as focused one-on-one tours has matured into a suite of options and amenities. Having nurtured this program from its infancy, Northrup stepped away from bedside nursing in 2019 to pursue a larger role at the hospital, trusting her labor of love to Chelsea Dykstra to protect and grow it.
Dykstra was on the opening team for the hospital and brings her background as a NICU, labor, postpartum, and lactation nurse to the role and understands that birth is about more than standardized care. During individual concierge appointments, she creates a space where mothers feel comfortable sharing sensitive concerns that they might withhold in a group setting.
“Most patients are introduced to the program via their OBGYN at the 20-week appointment, leading to a dedicated concierge appointment between 28 and 30 weeks,” Dykstra says. “During this time, we provide private tours and walkthroughs of the check-in, labor, and postpartum areas.”
Beyond the tour, Dykstra, along with fellow concierge nurse Katelyn Rogers, manages the administrative details of childbirth, such as pre-admission paperwork and birth certificate processing, freeing the bedside nursing staff from administrative duties. These meetings help identify potential issues and manage expectations, distinguishing between medical standards of care and personal preferences. They also serve as a resource for the many classes offered, including birth preparation and newborn care.
For mom Gorka, this resource brought relief before her second delivery. Dykstra recommended a specialized sibling class to help her four-year-old transition into an older-sister role. "That brought a lot of peace of mind," Gorka recalls. "It was an awesome class that we really appreciated."
The family-focused care extended to Diana's first visit to meet her baby brother, during which staff honored her with a pink "Big Sister" hospital bracelet and a doll blanket. "All those things made her just feel extra special," Gorka notes. The physical spaces, which feature large, bright windows and spacious bathrooms, ensure the new parents feel pampered. Both she and her husband, Michael, enjoyed a special post-delivery steak dinner to celebrate their expanding family.
"Hospital food’s negative reputation certainly doesn't apply there," Gorka laughs, admitting that she looked forward to returning to the hospital for its food at the renowned Manna Restaurant.
Perhaps the most impactful amenity is the Labor Menu, giving mothers autonomy over their birthing environment. Laboring mothers have full control over a spectrum of options, from aromatherapy and battery-powered candles to twinkle lights and sound machines. Also available are advanced physical comfort tools, peanut and positioning balls, water therapy tubs for labor, and a host of pain management options.
"I always felt so listened to by the staff there," Gorka reflects. "If I had questions or concerns, they would stop and explain things to me and talk through options. I felt like I was in control of the direction things were going."
Research confirms that maternal autonomy directly impacts clinical outcomes, including higher APGAR scores and more successful early bonding. When a mother is an active partner in her care, both she and her baby thrive.
Once baby and mom are ready to go home, the team send families home with a meal and celebratory mini bundt cake so they don’t worry about their first meal. Other post-discharge concierge care includes lactation support groups and pediatrician transitions. The concierge team runs The Mommy and Me Market the last Friday of most months, where families can find gently used baby items for free, no questions asked.
How much extra does all of this cost, you might ask? While the “concierge” designation might imply a premium price tag, this service is a 100% free, inclusive component of the maternity care that anyone who delivers at AdventHealth Castle Rock can access.
The Birthplace acts as a pay-it-forward gateway, welcoming families into the hospital community during a significant life milestone. Since most women act as primary healthcare decision-makers, when the time comes to seek emergency treatment for a broken arm, sudden illness, unforeseen surgical procedure, or specialized imaging, many choose to come back to the place they began their journey.
AdventHealth Castle Rock’s birthplace is nationally recognized. They have a 100% "Likely to Recommend" patient satisfaction score, Leapfrog "A" rating, and CMS 5-star status. Additionally, they have been named a Newsweek Best Maternity Hospital.
While the data and accolades are impressive, the concierge team knows that real success is measured not in numbers, but in each mom's and baby's health. They all believe that when you empower a mother, you protect a family and provide a lifelong home for healthcare.
To reach the concierge team, email them at CRK.BirthConcierge@adventhealth.com.
When a mother is an active partner in her care, both she and her baby thrive.