Children’s Hospitals & Clinics Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

The new NICU was expanded from 40 to 50 beds and roughly doubled its size from 10,000 to 20,000 sq. ft. The project also included the relocation of the hospital’s 7,640 sq. ft. clinical care laboratory to the lower level.

The private rooms, which allow parents to sleep with and care for their infant in the hospital, was one of the first for Children’s. A private room is good for both parents and infants, with research showing that premature infants are very sensitive to light and noise, which can be easily controlled in a private room. Parental contact has also been shown to benefit the children.

Phase I included 29 patient rooms, while Phase II included 21 additional rooms and a family lounge. Through careful phasing of the project, the NICU remained in continuous operation throughout construction.