New unit increases capacity to care for Arizona’s most fragile newborns
Phoenix Children’s will open its new 44,000-square-foot Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Thomas Campus on Wednesday, May 15.
The new space, which replaces Phoenix Children’s existing NICU, is Arizona's only Level IV NICU as designated by the American Academy of Pediatrics, indicating the highest level of care available for the most complex neonatal conditions. The new and larger NICU is equipped to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding greater Phoenix-area.
“The advanced care available at a Level IV NICU improves the chances of survival and reduces the risk of long-term complications for the sickest and most premature babies,” said Gregory C. Martin, MD, division chief and the Bill and Cathy Hudson Endowed Chair in Neonatology at Phoenix Children’s. “The new NICU at Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Thomas Campus significantly increases our capacity to care for the area’s most fragile infants. With the growth our community is experiencing, this increase in capacity could not have come at a more important time.”
In addition to providing high-quality medical care, the new space, located on the 11th floor of the Thomas Campus, was designed to enhance patient-family comfort. Features include:
48 spacious private rooms, each with a crib, window, and private bathroom
Comfortable sleeper couches for parents and caregivers
Patient rooms equipped for emergency and advanced treatments, right at the infant’s bedside
A multipurpose room for physical, occupational and speech therapy
A washer, dryer, refrigerator and sink for patient families to use
A family lounge and quiet areas for parents to step away from the bedside
The NICU was also designed to allow clinicians to quickly and easily access patients and to enable easy transport to radiology, the operating room and other ancillary areas of the hospital.
The new NICU is part of Phoenix Children’s ongoing effort to provide top-ranked pediatric care to families across the Valley. The health system, through an ongoing partnership with Dignity Health, staffs and directs medical care in the NICUs at Chandler Regional Medical Center, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center.
Phoenix Children’s will also provide a Level IIIB NICU at Phoenix Children’s Hospital — East Valley in Gilbert when the hospital opens later this year.
Phoenix Children’s boasts a nationally ranked Neonatology program and is listed among U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals.” Learn more at phoenixchildrens.org.
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