—Continued on page 2
WHEN KADLEC’S EXPANDED
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
opens in October, the families of
these tiny patients will immediately
experience a di erence.
Their babies will be in an NICU that
is ve times larger than the previous
unit. The number of bassinets for
babies will increase from 17 to 27. The
rooms will all be private and include
a sleeping chair for family members.
Visiting hours will be 24 hours a day.
It will be quieter and the light in the
Kelly Harper, RN, Kadlec
Maternal Child Services
manager, stands in the
new Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit (NICU). The
expanded unit is ve
times larger than the
previous NICU with room
for 27 bassinets.
room can be individually controlled.
There will be a Family Haven room for
gatherings or simply for families to
take an all-important rest. In all, it’s
a $9-million expansion of the area’s
only Level III NICU, which treats high-
risk newborns needing specialized
care.
Since its 1982 opening, thousands
of babies have received care at Kadlec’s
NICU. In recent years, it has operated
at 83 percent occupancy, well above
State Health Plan guidelines.
Expanded NICU
More room to care
for the tiniest patients
Welcome to the World
The theme of the new NICU is
“Welcome to the World.”The design
incorporates all seven continents,
represented by animals and foliage of
that continent.
“It’s a fun theme,” said Kelly Harper,
RN, Kadlec Maternal Child Services
manager. “We have families from many
di erent cultures, and it is nice to have
surroundings that represent those
cultures.”
The design phase of the unit included
input from sta and parents.
“They gave us great advice about
how to make the new unit easier on
families,” said Harper. “We were able to
implement many of those suggestions.”
Providing important care
Kadlec’s NICU can care for
babies from 24 weeks gestation on
and weighing 500 grams or more
(1.1 pounds).
In 2013 alone, the NICU had nearly
500 patients, and those numbers
PACESETTER
A higher level of care
September 2014
Special Kadlec Clinic Pull-and-Save Section inside
