CHoR’s 20-bed NICU is officially open in the Children’s Tower
The wintery weather outside didn’t deter a big move for our little patients today. Many months in the making, 11 babies became the first patients in our new Children’s Tower NICU.
The babies moved from our 40-bed NICU in VCU Medical Center’s Critical Care Hospital across an indoor bridge to the new 20-bed unit in our Children’s Tower – and their care team made the trek too!
“Each baby’s nurse came along with them, with the help of transporters,” said Tracy Lowerre, RN, clinical liaison. “We also had nurses waiting on the receiving end to assist with setting up the monitors and getting everyone settled.”
A true team effort, our physicians, respiratory therapists and other team members were also on hand to tend to their patients before, during and after the transition.
The first patient to make the move was 2-week-old Christian McKinney, who was born 7 weeks early weighing just 4 and a half pounds.
“The level of care is immaculate,” said his mom, Laiya, of her NICU experience thus far. “Everyone is super nice and friendly. I never feel bad when I have to go home and rest. I know they’re going to take great care of him.”
Laiya’s dad and older son, a CHoR NICU graduate, had gotten a sneak peek of the new unit when attending a NICU reunion event in the space earlier this month. She didn’t imagine her new baby would be among the first to receive care there.
“It’s so bright, so open,” she added.
Laiya looks forward to her parents coming to visit baby Christian in his new room before he goes home – hopefully soon!
Why a new NICU?
As the region’s only Level 4 NICU offering the highest level of care for premature and full-term infants with critical medical needs, our existing NICU was continually at capacity. It became clear that our community could benefit from additional beds – and shell space in the Children’s Tower could accommodate this expansion. Construction began approximately a year ago to build out 16 single and two twin rooms with space for up to 20 patients.
Our 40-bed NICU will continue operating, bringing the total number of CHoR NICU beds to 60.
“Our goal with this expansion is that we’ll be able to care for all the infants who need us, without bottlenecks or delays,” said Dr. Russell Moores, NICU medical director. “In addition to the equipment and technology to provide advanced treatment for the tiniest of babies, special amenities are designed to make the stay more comfortable for families, many of whom will be here with their infants for weeks or months.”
These amenities include sleeping space and a private bathroom for parents in each room, along with a family lounge and quiet room on the unit. Families also have access to the in-hospital Ronald McDonald House, multifaith chapel, free parking, family-friendly cafeteria and Teammates for Kids Child Life Zone for siblings in the Children’s Tower.
Preparing for a safe and successful move to the Children’s Tower NICU
As construction progressed, so did the clinical team’s preparations. The same team members will care for babies in both NICUs, maintaining current workflows to ensure consistency. They’ve taken turns learning the “lay of the land” in the Children’s Tower and completing training to prepare them for the new space. By move day, they were more than ready.
“A comprehensive plan was established well before move day, including a schedule, path of travel and large interprofessional team working together to ensure all equipment, supplies, cleaning and other details were in place for a safe move,” said Jamie Cosby, NICU nurse manager. “Many different disciplines were onsite today to support this transition and make sure our babies were ‘tucked in’ and comfy in their new rooms.”
Learn more about why our neonatal care is nationally ranked.
See all the sweet snaps from the Children’s Tower NICU move on social media:
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Children's Hospital at VCU (@childrensatvcu) • Instagram photos and videos