Barangay Lawaan Health Station and Birthing Center: A place for health, birth, and community in Danao’s Uplands

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VIA GRAPHIC PLUS | DANAO CITY, Cebu, Philippines (September 30, 2026) — SM Foundation has turned over the Barangay Lawaan Health Station and Birthing Center to the City Government of Danao, providing a modern, two-story healthcare facility that will serve as the primary health hub for eleven upland barangays.

City health officers and barangay officials tour the grounds of the newly turned over Barangay Lawaan Health Station and Birthing Center. What was once the barangay’s multi-purpose hall now opens its doors as a full-service health facility for eleven upland barangays.

The new facility brings primary healthcare and maternal services together under one roof, improving access to quality care for families in Danao City’s upland communities.

After an earthquake left the original health station structurally unsafe, the barangay’s former multi-purpose building was converted into a combined health station and birthing center. Developed under SM Foundation’s Felicidad T. Sy Wellness Center Program, it is the program’s 232nd facility and was built to Department of Health and PhilHealth accreditation standards.

The ground floor houses a full birthing facility designed to support mothers from pregnancy through recovery. It includes an admission area, prenatal consultation room, nurses’ and midwives’ station, labor and recovery room, delivery room, sterilization and scrub room, breastfeeding room, and accessible toilets.

An expecting mother is welcomed at the Birthing Center’s admission area, the first stop in a facility built to carry her from pregnancy through delivery and recovery.
A midwife conducts a routine prenatal checkup. What once required a trip down the mountain to a city hospital now happens right in the community she calls home.

On the second floor, patients are welcomed by a comfortable waiting lounge with a mobile play area for children, alongside consultation and treatment rooms, a pharmacy, and a dental clinic. The facility is equipped with new furniture, LED appliances, and essential medical equipment, providing Barangay Lawaan and neighboring communities with a fully functional healthcare center.

A young patient reads at the Brgy. Lawaan Health Station. Child-friendly spaces keep children engaged, allowing families to focus on their care in a comfortable, dignified environment.

Air-conditioning units and air-cleaning paints help maintain a comfortable and healthy environment for both patients and healthcare workers.

The center also integrates SM DigiKonsulta, SM Foundation’s telemedicine and health digitalization program, allowing residents of geographically isolated communities to consult doctors remotely. Patient records are stored through a secure electronic medical records system compliant with Department of Health standards.

Through the integration of DigiKonsulta in the health station, designated health workers can connect the residents to a doctor on screen for consultations. For Danao City’s most isolated barangays, healthcare no longer requires costly trips to town.

These services will reach eleven barangays: Lawaan, Saksak, Ogis, Langosig, Santican, Pili, Cambubho, Magtagobtob, Bayabas, Danasan, and Dungga. Together, these communities are home to 10,245 residents based on the 2020 Census, extending healthcare access to some of Danao City’s most remote areas.

By bringing primary care, maternal health services, and telemedicine together in one facility, the Barangay Lawaan Health Station and Birthing Center joins more than 230 Wellness Centers built nationwide by SM Foundation. 

Through partnerships with local governments, the Department of Health, and private sector partners, the program has served over six million patients across the country. 

More than a health station, the center provides Danao City’s upland communities with a place to seek care close to home, whether for a routine check-up, maternal services, or consultations that once required long journeys to access.

Started in 1927, the Philippines Graphic is the longest-running printed magazine of national circulation that provides relevant news and features and promotes Philippine literature.

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