Baptist Health Paducah Expanding NICU

Construction is under way on a new $3.2 million Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Baptist Health Paducah, with completion expected in early 2017. 

The NICU, which started in 2011 in a section of the nursery on the hospital’s second floor, will almost triple in size when it moves into a new 8,000-square-foot wing on the second floor of Medical Park 2.

The unit began with six beds and is now licensed for 14 beds. “In its nearly six years, the availability of this service in Paducah has had a significant emotional and economic impact on more than 1,000 families,” said William A. Brown, hospital president. “Without it, they would have had to relocate to cities two or three hours away for weeks, sometimes months, missing work and their families during a critical time in their lives.” 

As beneficial as the NICU has been for those families, Edward O’Neill, MD, University of Louisville-affiliated neonatologist serving the Paducah NICU, said the unit has outgrown its space.  

“Our limited space means families have been unable to stay in the room with their babies. After mothers were discharged from the hospital, they did not even have adequate private space where they could feed their babies,” Dr. O’Neill said. “Our new space will allow for more privacy and bonding during this critical time in their new baby’s life, and, because it is being designed especially for this purpose, it will be more convenient and comfortable for families during these extended stays.”

The NICU has special equipment and trained staff to care for babies born up to three months early, weighing as little as two pounds. 

Since babies in the unit are sensitive to sound, light and color; every detail of the new NICU is designed to improve their brain growth and development, as well as reduce the risk of infection, for the best outcomes. For example, floor materials dampen the noise of footsteps; sinks, hand dryers and pull curtains are quiet; and windows are covered with sheer and room-darkening shades. Even the artwork has been chosen for the proper stimulation.

“Our babies require special equipment to acclimate to their new environment,” said Lisa Parnell, PhD, Mother & Baby Care nursing director. “They need quiet time to grow and mature.”

The new NICU will include:

+ Six private rooms for the most critical babies, with enough space for parents to remain close to their babies and sleep in the rooms. Two of these six rooms will be large enough for twins or triplets. 

+ Six private midsized rooms for less critical babies, offering recliners and gliders for parents’ comfort. 

+ Six additional bays for babies needing observation, with curtain privacy.  “Placement depends on the baby’s condition,” Dr. O’Neill said. “Some will be brought in for observation; others may be improving and preparing to go home.” 

+ Special rooms for breastfeeding, including a breast milk preparation room and a private lactation room. This space also will accommodate a donor breast milk program.

+ Rooms for respiratory and physical/occupational therapists. They not only assist in the newborns’ treatment, but also train the family to meet any special care needs when they take their baby home. They have been serving the current NICU from other quarters in the hospital, but this will allow them to be on-site at all times.

Brown said Baptist Health is known as “the baby hospital” because 1,400 babies are born there each year – four times more than anywhere else in the region - but about 15 percent of them need NICU services.

“Babies have been important to us since 1953, when the first baby was born within four hours of the hospital’s opening our doors,” he said. “We are delighted to make these improvements for our young families. Our mission is to demonstrate the love of Christ with them, whether they are celebrating the happiest moments of their life or needing us at a critical time.”  

Anyone interested in making a year-end donation for the NICU may send it to the Baptist Health Foundation Paducah, 2501 Kentucky Ave., Paducah, Ky. 42003 or phone 270-575-2871.