You Help Critically Ill Infants Receive the Best Care

The tiniest patients are in the best, most capable hands at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. Specialists in the level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), provide both intensive and intermediate care to critically ill infants requiring medical or surgical intervention at every hour, any day of the week.

The newly remodeled space, which opened in the summer of 2017, has vastly changed the layout of the unit, adding several private patient rooms, and a growing medical team.  More than 100 Associates currently make up the NICU including nurses and physicians,  lactation consultants, car seat technicians, CPS instructors, Spanish translators and more.

The NICU includes 24-hour in-house physician coverage, including a neonatologist and a neonatal nurse practitioner. The unit is divided into three sections, each named by NICU Associates. The sunshine bay, which is nearing the end of construction, will serve the most acute babies. The space will include 25 beds, set up in pods, including one multiple room for twins or other multi-child births. The goldfish bay and lily pad bay are both currently open and house 20 and 15 private patient rooms, respectively, with additional space for family.

At the heart of the NICU is family-centered care. The private patient rooms allow the families to spend more time with the baby, giving mother and child the bonding time needed. This February, the NICU Child Life team instituted a sibling support group, steered at helping siblings feel included and comfortable during the family’s stay in the NICU. Siblings are given the chance to engage in individualized activities with Child Life specialists to better understand why their new sibling is in the hospital.

Each year, the NICU admits approximately 700 babies, with 60 percent being transported from other facilities across Texas, or through The Children’s Hospital’s emergency department. The remaining 40 percent are born at The Children’s Hospital and transferred to the unit from labor and delivery.

Take a moment to reflect on the countless lives The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio nurtures every single day, thanks to generous donors like you, and consider making a gift today.  Your support plays an essential role in helping programs and services at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio continue to grow and flourish. Because of your support, infants’ lives are saved every day.

To learn more about how you can make a difference, visit ChildrensHospitalSAFoundation.org.