Maplewood, MN (January 01, 2010) – St. John's Hospital celebrates the first baby born at the hospital in the new year and new decade. She's Josephine Barkeim, the first child for Joelle and Scott Barkeim of Forest Lake. Josephine arrived at 8:13 am on New Year’s Day.   

Josephine weighs 6 pounds 10 ounces and is 20 inches long.  Her due date was December 30, so her parents thought there might be a chance she could be the New Year's baby. Josephine is named after her maternal grandmother, who passed away six years ago.

Joelle says her baby girl is "pretty content and likes to cuddle." Scott says his little girl "definitely has his hair."  The proud parents say they'll have to see what she wants to do when she grows up, but they say "there's a good chance of her being spoiled."  As the first baby of the New Year, she received a special basket full of all kinds of goodies from HealthEast Maternity Care.

St. John's Hospital in Maplewood, a member of the HealthEast Care System, is one of the busiest maternity units in the Twin Cities East Metro, delivering more than three thousand babies every year. St. John's has been delivering babies in the Twin Cities East Metro for nearly 100 years.

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HealthEast Care System is a community-focused, non-profit health care organization that provides innovative technology, compassionate care and a full spectrum of family health services. HealthEast includes Bethesda Hospital, St. John's Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital and Woodwinds Health Campus as well as outpatient services, clinics, home care, pharmacies and medical transportation services.

Practicing financial responsibility, HealthEast is the largest, locally-owned health care organization in the Twin Cities' East Metro with 7,300 employees, 1,200 volunteers and 1,400 physicians on staff.