This Hospital Week, Methodist Hospital Metropolitan is recognizing a hospital role many people never see but thousands of families rely on: birth registry.
For 50 years, Betty Nuñez has helped families complete the paperwork that becomes a baby’s birth certificate. Since joining then-Metropolitan Hospital in 1975, Nuñez has signed off on an estimated 180,000 birth certificates for babies born in the heart of San Antonio.
Her work begins at the bedside, where she guides new parents through information required by the state and explains what comes next. The document she helps complete is tied to many important milestones, including Social Security numbers, school registration and other life events.
“I just love doing it,” Nuñez said. “I like seeing different people and making sure they get everything done that they’re supposed to get.”
Nuñez was 21 when she boarded a city bus to interview for a position in the hospital’s medical records department. Her background was in law, not healthcare, but the role caught her attention. Not long after she was hired, Nuñez became a state certifier in the hospital’s birth registry process, a role she has held ever since.
Over the years, the work has changed significantly. Nuñez remembers when every form was typed on a typewriter and a single mistake meant starting over. Today, the process is electronic, making it faster, more reliable and easier for families to review before submission.
Her work has connected her to generations of San Antonio families. Once, while completing paperwork for a newborn, Nuñez entered a room with three generations: a baby, a mother and a grandmother. The grandmother recognized Nuñez as the person who had helped her years earlier when she gave birth to her own child — the baby’s mother.
For Nuñez, Methodist Hospital Metropolitan has been more than a workplace. She built her career there and delivered both of her children in the same unit where she has guided countless other families.
“I just like coming to work,” Nuñez said. “I enjoy being with everyone. They’re just like family to me. It’s my second home.”
“Betty’s 50 years of service reflect the kind of dedication that strengthens our hospital and the community we serve,” said Greg Seiler, CEO of Methodist Hospital Metropolitan. “For generations of families, she has brought consistency, compassion and extraordinary care to some of life’s most meaningful moments. We are deeply grateful for the impact she has made.”
Recently, Nuñez was honored by colleagues for her 50 years of service — a milestone that reflects the quiet, lasting impact one colleague can have on families and the community.