Cook Children's annual report and community benefits

There’s nothing quite like opening day and September 2011
was opening day for Cook Children’s new all-private room
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Cook Children’s
became the first medical center in the region to provide a
state-of-the-art, all-private room NICU. The new unit gives
newborns and their families accommodations that help make
Cook Children’s excellent newborn care even better.
“Private rooms are the most current trend in building new
units,” said Nurse Manager Tammy Hoff, MS, RN, NE-BC.
“Anytime you have a private room, the benefit is going to
be that the family can be there. The family can have more
privacy and focus on their baby.”
The all-private room NICU was designed to allow parents to
stay with their baby at all times, giving them the opportunity
to bond with their baby and to be more active participants in
their baby’s care. The expanded NICU consists of 99 rooms
and 106 beds, separated into five areas. Rooms have been
included to specifically accommodate twins, triplets and
quadruplets. All of the rooms have a bed, chair and storage
closet to allow both parents to comfortably stay with their
baby overnight. Each floor also has a family lounge, laundry
room and showers.
“We are hoping to engage families sooner and encourage
them to participate in their babies’ care so they will be ready
to go home when the time comes,” said Tammy Hoff, MS,
RN, NE-BC, nurse manager. “Ultimately, we should see that
babies stay in our NICU for a shorter period of time.”
The staff has already seen some of the benefits of the
private rooms. Respiratory therapists have noted that they
do not have to manage babies’ oxygen saturation levels as
much, which can decrease when babies are irritable or cry.
In addition, it appears that moms have been pumping more
milk because of the opportunity to be close with their baby.
All of the milk is stored in our state-of-the-art milk bank. The
benefit of a milk bank is that fewer people handle the milk,
creating less room for error.
The new NICU has innovative features, including sound
insulation, lighting control and cardiac monitors, allowing
nurses to observe three patients at once. Nurses also use
a device called Vocera ® . This integrated monitoring system
lets nurses communicate with other staff members handsfree
and has patient alarm notification technology.
The NICU team consists of highly trained pediatric specialists,
physical and occupational therapists trained in newborn care
and an award-winning team of nurses that have additional
training in the specific areas of the NICU.
The entire NICU team is dedicated to including parents in
the care of their baby, while providing the best possible care
for patients. Caring for the family begins when they tour the
facility before the baby’s birth, through their stay and beyond.
Full-time lactation consultants, Child Life specialists, social
workers, case managers, physical and occupational therapists
and chaplains are available as support for the families and
complete the multidisciplinary team. The unit also has several
support groups to help guide the patient families while they are
staying at the medical center, as well as when they go home.
The second floor of the NICU is named in memory of Dave T. and
Bernie Marie Miller in recognition of their philanthropic support.
To learn more or schedule a tour, visit
www.cookchildrens.org/nicu or call 855-OUR-NICU.
03 | Cook Children’s 2011 Annual Report