Thirty Years of Caring

The birth of baby is always a miracle. But if you are a family that has had to endure the thought of something "high-risk" happening before or during delivery, or having your infant born with a critical condition, the quality care that a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can provide great peace of mind.

In August 2005 our NICU turned 30. The unit began life small, like so many of its patients, as an Intermediate Care Nursery (ICN) with only four beds and 12 staff members. And like its patients, it has grown considerably since then.

Today it is a 45-bed State licensed and California Children's Services (CCS) certified, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The current staff numbers over 150 and includes highly trained RN's, respiratory therapists, unit coordinators, nutritionists, social workers, case managers, sleep technicians, developmental specialists, neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, doctors and CPR instructors, among others.

"Babies get sick like anyone else!"

Director of Patient Care Services at the NICU, Cheryl VonLatta, R.N., has been with the unit since its inception, when she was one of the original staff nurses. Today she works hand to hand with the current Medical Director, Frederick Murphy, M.D., overseeing an expert staff. All of VonLatta's nurses are R.N.s, many of whom have special certification in neonatal care, as do nurse practitioners and respiratory therapists on the ward.

For babies who need assistance breathing, the NICU has many kinds of ventilators. Isolettes covered with glass are used for newborns who require isolation, and warming tables are used to keep those who require lots of intervention cozy. Vital signs are monitored the way they are in an adult Intensive Care Unit. There is also special
equipment for special conditions, such as phototherapy lights for infants with jaundice caused by immature livers.

"Most of the infants we care for were born premature," says VonLatta. "But babies get sick like anyone else! Almost 20 percent of our patients are full-term babies who need our services because of pneumonia or some other infection."

"We're very family-friendly," she adds. "There are no set visiting hours, and special rooms are available for families who want to sleep in the room with their newborns." As a Level III nursery, the NICU cares for newborns from facilities in a large four-county area, and parents who live far from the hospital are happy to know that some hospital volunteers are trained as NICU "cuddlers" to ensure that their babies receive lots of attention. "Our nurses are good cuddlers, too," VonLatta adds.

Outreach and Follow-up

Both ground and air transportation are available to transport mothers requiring a higher level of care from outlying areas "We prefer to transport the mother rather than the baby," says VonLatta, "but if the mother's condition isn't stable enough to let her travel, we are
set up to transport the newborn after delivery." A maternal fetal transport team from Labor and Delivery at DMC accompanies mothers who are being brought to the hospital for delivery; a neonatal transport team from VonLatta's staff accompanies newborns who are being brought to the NICU.

Length of stay in the NICU may vary from an average of 14 days up to three months, and the care doesn't stop there. Once a child graduates from Intensive Care, continuing care may be provided in an Intermediate Nursery. Infants who live near the hospital are seen as outpatients in a High-Risk Infant Follow-up Clinic overseen by developmental specialist Diane Hicks, R.N., for two years after leaving the hospital.

"Part of what makes NICUs what they are," says VonLatta, "are the services we offer and the state programs we make available to support the infants' growth and development once they leave us." To ensure that the unit's more far-flung graduates are followed to catch and correct any developmental problems, the NICU offers services and training to other facilities for High Risk Infant Follow-up clinics of their own.

Our dedicated NICU staff has our gratitude for a job well done and congratulations on 30 years of success. The hospital is proud of the excellent services they provide, and we look forward to the next 30 years of professionalism, dedication, team effort and commitment to the families of our community and surrounding counties.