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 Breaking
News
New
construction at Texas Children's Hospital Newborn Center
by
James M. Adams, Jr., MD
Over
the past 29 years, the Texas Children’s Hospital NICU
grew from a humble 4-bed unit to a 120-bed Newborn Center that
is a regional ECMO center and a center for acute and chronic respiratory
disease management. The growth was key to continually upgrading
care and services to a fragile patient population.
The
present 120-bed Newborn Center opened in 1991. It consists of
56 NICU beds and 38 Level 2 beds on the 4th floor of the new West
Tower building and an additional 26 Level 2 beds on the 3rd floor
of the Abercrombie building. All Level 2 beds were designed to
meet NICU specifications, thus allowing for increased patient
care flexibility.
However,
these units reached capacity by the dawn of the new millennium
and again there is need for new construction. Plans include both
new construction and extensive remodeling in three phases.
- Phase 1: A new Level 2 nursery on the West Tower 4th floor
that will subsequently replace the current Premature Nursery
and Infant Care Unit.
- Phase 2: A parent support facility adjacent to the NICU on
the 4th floor of the Abercrombie Building. This facility will
be operated by the staff of The Ronald McDonald House and will
include a kitchen, library, hospitality room, and 20 sleep rooms
for parents.
- Phase 3: The current NICU and Infant Care Unit sites will
be completely remodeled and converted into a new Level 3 unit.
The
new nursery will provide family-centered care in a carefully controlled
environment featuring extensive use of sound-deadening material
and custom lighting control, enhancing the developmental care
process already provided. Despite a 50-percent increase in bedside
space, family privacy will be significantly enhanced. Each new
nursery will feature completely redesigned headwalls, including
a designated area for extended family visits with storage cabinets
for parents’ belongings. Family involvement with daily care will
be integral in this bedside environment. Extensive use will be
made of virtual workstations and digital communication tools.
Additional conference rooms will be available for family meetings
and educational activities. An updated physiologic monitor system
will aid in optimal delivery of state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary
care.
Project
completion will be in about 18 months. Then the Newborn Center
will provide 150 beds supported by a full range of diagnostic
capabilities and all available medical and surgical subspecialties.
Also, referral patients will have expanded access to the Texas
Children’s Neonatal Transport Team Kangaroo Crew® ground and air
transport system.
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