Renown Health is excited to announce a hopeful moment to start the new year with the first baby of 2021. Jessa Mae Estrada, 26, of Reno gave birth to baby Oli Amelia Estrada at 3:59 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2021. Baby Oli weighed 5 pounds, 14.4 ounces and was the first 2021 birth at any of the region’s hospitals.
“Baby Oli’s birth serves as a beautiful symbol of hope for all of us as we look forward to brighter days ahead full of joy, promise and new beginnings,” said Tony Slonim, MD, DrPH, Renown’s President and CEO. “As we take time to reflect on the many challenges and uncertainties brought on in 2020, I will never forget the steadfast determination and resilience demonstrated by our entire community. For it is our collective ability to overcome adversity that makes celebratory moments like these even more meaningful.”
Baby Oli is welcomed to the world by her father, Oliver Estrada, siblings Nate, 2, and Naz, 1, and grandparents Charito and Eduardo Estrada.
“I am excited to welcome our first baby of 2021 and celebrate this joyful moment,” said Larry Duncan, Vice President of Pediatrics and Surgery and Administrator, Renown Children's Hospital. “I want to wish all of the new parents the best and make sure they know Renown is here to provide the quality care the families in our community deserve.”
More than 4,000 babies are delivered each year at Renown Regional Medical Center. Renown Children’s Hospital has a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and the region’s only Children’s ER and Pediatric ICU, and is the only hospital affiliated with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH) in the region.
Please see the above photo for you to share showing the healthy and happy, mom and baby.
About Renown Health
Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally owned and governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the region’s largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renown’s institute model addresses social determinants of health a1nd includes: Child Health, Behavioral Health & Addiction, Healthy Aging and Health Innovation. Clinical institutes include: Cancer, Heart and Vascular Health, Neurosciences and Robotic Surgery. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world’s largest community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project®. For more information visit, renown.org.
Renown Completes Second and Third Living Donor Kidney Transplants
Celebrating the anniversary of the world’s first kidney transplant, the Renown Transplant Institute team announces they have completed their second and third living donor kidney transplants, building on the success of northern Nevada’s first kidney transplant program. These recent surgeries highlight the team’s growing expertise, the generosity of local families and the William N. Pennington Foundation.
Renown Health Expands Leadership Role of Chris Nicholas to Include System COO
Renown Health announced that effective Jan. 1, 2026, Chris Nicholas, MHA, FACHE, current CEO of Renown Regional Medical Center, will be expanding his responsibilities to also become the Chief Operating Officer for Renown Health. In this dual capacity, Mr. Nicholas will manage critical aspects of Renown Health strategic plan implementation, including overseeing the health system’s Transformation Management Office and Master Facility Plan, and leading the Accelerating Care Transformation (ACT) team to coordinate system-wide performance improvement efforts and ensure long-term sustainability.
Renown Health Recognized as Best Hospital for Maternity Care
U.S. News & World Report, the global authority on hospital rankings and consumer advice, has named Renown Health as both a 2026 High-Performing hospital for Maternity Care and a Maternity Care Access Hospital. These dual designations underscore Renown Health’s leadership in advancing exceptional and equitable maternal health services.
Ratings are intended to help expectant parents, in consultation with their prenatal care providers, make informed decisions about where to receive safe and effective maternity care. In 2026, 495 top hospitals for Maternity care have been recognized as High Performing across the U.S. Renown Regional Medical Center is the only hospital earning this designation in the northern Nevada region. Four hospitals in Las Vegas also earned honors.
The 2026 hospital ratings for Maternity and Perinatal Care review hospitals providing high-quality labor & delivery services for uncomplicated pregnancies. U.S. News evaluates how well hospitals perform in childbirth using C-section rates, newborn severe complication rates, routine vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC) rates, episiotomy rates, best practices to support breast milk feeding, whether a hospital meets federal criteria for "birthing-friendly" practices, and whether a hospital tracked and reported disparities in outcomes. In terms of quality, these hospitals also demonstrated performance above the lowest normalized values for severe unexpected newborn complications, C-sections or episiotomy rates. Read more about the methodology here.
“Providing the highest level of maternity and infant care is essential to the health and strength of our region,” stated Brian Erling, MD, MBA, President and CEO of Renown Health. “High-quality maternity care leads to safer pregnancies, fewer complications, and better long-term outcomes for both mother and child. Early, expert care reduces risks such as preterm birth, low birth weight babies and complications. Local access ensures timely intervention when seconds matter. Communities with strong maternal care programs see benefits in education, economic stability and public health. We are proud that all parents, regardless of their background or resources, can receive safe, compassionate, evidence-based care, close to home. We at Renown are very proud of this recognition, and to be able to support families during one of life’s most precious moments.”
“Receiving the Best Hospital for Maternity Care designation is an incredible honor for our entire team and reflects our commitment to delivering outstanding care for every mother and baby,” said James M. Alexander, MD, chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) and Renown Health, As northern Nevada’s academic teaching hospital in partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, we are proud to train the next generation of obstetrics leaders while advancing the highest standards of care for our community.”
