Forget kissing babies. Kansas politicians have secured $300,000 to improve the birthing of babies in Douglas County.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital officials announced Tuesday that the hospital would receive $300,000 in federal funding to help expand its maternity unit. The funding is part of the recently approved 2005 omnibus appropriations bill.

Hospital officials are crediting Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., for championing the funding request. Moore visited the hospital in January and learned about the proposed maternity ward expansion.

“We are pleased Congressman Moore recognizes how this expansion will enhance our ability to serve the needs of our patients,” said Gene Meyer, president and chief executive of the hospital.

The annual piece of legislation is frequently the bill to which legislators attach funding requests for specific projects in their district. Kathy Clausing, vice president and chief development officer at the hospital, said this was the first time in recent memory that the hospital had received a special allocation from the federal government.

“I think the community feels very positive about the direction the hospital is moving,” Clausing said. “I think Representative Moore recognized that and felt it was a worthy project.”

The expansion, expected to total about $5.7 million, will add six new labor/recovery rooms, double the size of the existing post-Caesarean section patient rooms, enlarge the nursery and create an education room for prenatal and parenting classes.

LMH officials are seeking to expand the unit because of an increase in the number of births at the hospital. In 2003, 1,110 babies were born at LMH, up 29 percent from 1997.

No timeline for the expansion project has been set. It is part of a $35 million renovation that hospital officials are considering. The entire project would include renovating semi-private rooms into fully private rooms, an expansion of the emergency department and either a new or renovated surgical area.

Early next year, the hospital is expected to announce a $5 million capital campaign to raise a portion of the money needed to fund the projects.