Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

The region’s only Level III NICU

Each year nearly 1,000 babies are born prematurely or critically ill, either at Hurley Medical Center or in the surrounding 3-county area. For the best chance of survival, these fragile lives require the expert, highly-specialized critical care available only from Hurley Medical Center’s Level III NICU.

The highest level of expertise, the most advanced technology, and a dedicated and caring staff

Being designated a Level III NICU facility means that our entire NICU staff—neonatologists (specialists in sick or premature newborns), perinatologists (specialists in high-risk pregnancies), NICU nurses, nurse practitioners, and respiratory therapy nurse specialists—have the state-of-the-art knowledge and technology needed to care for these premature or very sick newborns.

Life-saving transport capabilities for premature or very sick newborns

We not only care for the infants born here at Hurley Medical Center but also for ones born at other hospitals who become very sick. If one of these infants needs critical care, transporting him/her to Hurley is particularly challenging. To make the trip as medically safe as possible, our transport team—a neonatologist, NICU nurse, nurse practitioner, and respiratory therapist—travels to the transferring hospital, stabilizes the baby, and transports him/her here to Hurley’s NICU.

Hurley perinatologists in our Maternal Fetal Medicine Department deliver highly specialized care to both mother and fetus—throughout a high-risk pregnancy and delivery—all the way to Hurley’s Level III NICU.

Parent Involvement

To help parents adjust to their newborn, we encourage them to participate in the care of their baby—hands-on touch and diaper changing—even if the baby is very preterm. We especially want mothers to be involved because babies know their mother’s voice and this is comforting to them. Even preterm babies need that close contact with mom.

Patient- and Family-Centered Care

Throughout Hurley Medical Center, one of our guiding principles is Patient- and Family-Centered Care. In Hurley’s Level III NICU, this means that parents are involved in all aspects of their baby’s care. We encourage parents to stay closely involved in everything we do, including decisions about the baby’s treatment.

NICVIEW2 Live Video Streaming

The first days after the birth of a child represent an emotional time in the life of a parent - especially if the child must spend that time in the NICU. To help ease some of that anxiety, Hurley Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has installed state of the art “Nic-View” cameras. These cameras allow parents and family members to see how their child is doing even when they cannot physically be here.

This NICU camera system, helps extend family-centered care by giving family members a virtual window to their newborns. Many of the babies in the NICU are released within a few days, however, the length of stay for some on this unit can be longer. While not a replacement for visiting in person, this password-protected system allows parents and extended family members 24/7 access to their new bundle of joy. This level of access can help reduce the anxiety parents might feel while their newborn receives crucial treatment, while also empowering them as more active partners in the care process.

Putting Families at the Center of Newborn Care

NICVIEW 2 is an unobtrusive bedside camera system which streams video of the newborn to any end device:

  • Encourages parent-baby bonding by helping to reduce the distress and anxiety parents can feel when being separated from a newborn
  • Breaks down the barriers of distance by letting parents check up on the progress of their newborn at any time of the day or night
  • Empowers parents by making them more active partners in the care process
  • Enhances care by helping parents and healthcare professionals work together to give newborns the best start in life
  • Strengthens families & spreads the love by giving relatives and friends the chance to feel involved right from the start

The NICVIEW 2 also offers families the same level of security that they expect from the NICU. It utilizes direct app-based access (iOS & Android) from any end device, with simple, secure sign-in access that doesn’t require software downloads. The system has bank-level security, with end-to-end encryption and SSL authentication, ensuring that they have sole access to their baby’s camera.