Kosair Children’s Hospital Neonatal Renovation Opens
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After completing the third phase of a five-phase renovation, Kosair Children’s Hospital (KCH) has opened its new neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The $24.5 million in renovations are set to bring the NICU capacity to 101 beds.
The recently completed phase, which updated the NICU up to 44 private patient rooms, uses the most up-to-date neonatal technologies such as GE Giraffe OmniBed incubators and Phillips MP80 physiological monitors that are linked to a central monitor in the nurses’ station. The renovation also includes two rooms for families with twins.
“The latest thinking in neonatal care requires a more family-centered approach,” said Thomas Kmetz, chief administrative officer of Kosair Children’s hospital, in a statement. “This has been shown to improve the short-term and long-term outcomes for premature and medically fragile infants in addition to providing a more comfortable setting for parents.”
The family-centric design features a flat-screen TV with DVD player, a rocking chair, a tall swivel chair at the incubators height and a bench with additional storage in each patient room. The added amenities are intended to create a more comfortable space for families.
The KCH provides services to more than 1,200 babies and their families each year for issues related to prematurity, congenital birth defects and complications in childbirth. A patient’s length of stay at the NICU can range from a few days to several months.
“We are able to offer a Level IV NICU, which means we are a regional center with services to treat all medical and surgical needs of newborns, including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and cardiopulmonary bypass for serious congenital heart defects,” said Dan Stewart, neonatologist and medical director of the NICU, in a statement. “In addition, this renovated space better incorporates the family in the care of their baby.”
The previous renovations to the NICU added family-centered care areas at Norton Hospital and connected those areas to KCH through a pedestrian walkway. The next two phases will renovate the existing NICU space and construct the White Castle Family Space.
The renovations were partially funded by $14 million from the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
“The Children’s Hospital Foundation is thrilled to have supported such an important project,” said Lynnie Meyer, executive director of the Children’s Hospital Foundation, in a statement. “Support we have received from the community specifically for this project helped facilitate such an important investment in our work. We know that the changes we are making will mean a great deal to the more than 1,200 families who need our services every year.”
The NICU will begin occupation some time in early January, according to hospital officials.