Behind the doors of Driscoll Children's Hospital, families with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are seeing changes that no other children's hospital has in the Coastal Bend.
Staff at the hospital are calling it the 'most modernized level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Units in the state.
“It’s state of the art with technology, rooms space, colors, the vibrance of just having bigger windows," NICU Director Chris Joyal said. "One of the most important things that I think will really make a significant impact is the state of the art equipment that we have.”
A ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday welcomed parents, neighbors, and medical professionals to see the renovated NICU.
The hospital sees at least 40 patients a day on average. With a price tag of $83 million, the facility will have the capacity to care for more patients.
“The former NICU was built in the 1980s, it was about 12,000 square feet. Had room for about 50 or so children. The new facility is double that size," Sean Pieri, Vice President of Development and Marketing, said.
In the 26,000 square foot facility, patients are coming in from the Rio Grande Valley and even all the way from El Paso. Medical monitoring has also increased, with an additional 18 private rooms added for families to find comfort while visiting. The facility also had 3 new twin rooms and 9 four-bed open-bay rooms for patients.
Dr. Euming Chong, the NICU Medical Director, said her team is focusing on more family-centered care.
“We have always been here for our babies and our children. With the build of this new NICU, where we are more family-centered care, now we can truly, truly care for the families. When we say that families matter, we really, really mean it. When we say that the children matter, we really mean it," Chong said.
Medical staff said the changes are revolutionary to the way they approach pediatric medicine, setting them ahead for the next 40 years.
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