Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Provides Specialized Care for Newborns so Parents Can Stay Within the Community
Frankfort, KY (August 26, 2008) ' Frankfort Regional Medical Center is pleased to announce the opening of its new Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Opening on Labor Day, the Level II nursery provides specialized medical care for newborns, so that parents can stay within the community to deliver. Plus, mothers and babies won't have to be separated to get the care they need ' making life much easier on mom.
"This specialized nursery should feel like a big security blanket for parents of the communities we serve in Franklin, Anderson, Owen, Woodford, Shelby and surrounding counties," says Chip Peal, Chief Executive Officer. "It's comforting to know that if their babies need high-tech medical care, it's available close to home at Frankfort Regional. Now, all obstetrical care can be provided at one place."
The new four-bed Level II NICU enhances the existing nursery. The state-of-the-art nursery is staffed by board-certified neonatologists from Frankfort Infant and Neonatal Experts and registered nurses trained in advanced life support. Neonatologists are hospital based physicians that are trained in the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn infant. The NICU is equipped to deliver babies as young as 28 weeks, including those with respiratory and feeding difficulties or requiring antibiotic and IV therapy.
With everything under one roof, new mothers, babies, and physicians will also experience the advantage of superior communication and continuity of care, before, during and after delivery. By not having to transfer babies to another facility, their care can begin right away.
'The first days in a baby's life are the most important time for a mother to bond with her child,' says Angela Saxena, M.D., OB/GYN. 'And the mother's touch, or just hearing her voice, can make a big difference in a baby's well-being.'
Besides having highly trained staff, the new high-tech Level II nursery features advanced equipment including specialize incubators. Each incubator has its own temperature control and scale, allowing babies to stay put when they are monitored or receive care. The NICU also provides advanced respiratory support and other services vital to preemies and other newborns with medical challenges. While the new nursery will take care of special need babies requiring that extra level of care, well babies will continue to stay in labor and delivery rooms with their moms. The Center for Women's Health also contains a staffed Level I nursery, where newborns can be taken temporarily for procedures such as hearing screenings, circumcisions, or blood draws.
'Getting that extra special care immediately should mean a healthier child in the long run, with fewer complications,' says Dr. Bradley C. Chase, a Frankfort Regional pediatrician.
For more information about programs and services offered at Frankfort Regional Medical Center, call our 24/7 physician referral and health information line at (877) FRMC-MD1 ((877) 376-2631) or (502) 226-1655.