NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
OUR SERVICES
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a Regional Level IV facility, the highest designation for intensive care units given by California Children's Services. The neonatologists and multi-disciplinary staff are trained to care for infants with a wide range of conditions including prematurity, birth defects, jaundice, feeding problems, and infections. General newborn pediatric surgical, urology, neurology, cardiology, nephrology, pulmonology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, genetics, ear-nose and throat (ENT), physical and respiratory therapy services and retinal laser surgery are also provided.
Survival rates without complications of prematurity for the NICU's smallest infants was better than state and national averages. In 2012 we were awarded an Honorable Mention Gage Award by the National Association of Public Hospitals for eliminating hypothermia in premature infants.
SPECIALIZATION
PREVENTING MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY FROM CRITICAL CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE
In an effort to facilitate early identification of life threatening birth defects, we have been interested in screening asymptomatic babies to optimize outcomes.
TOTAL BODY COOLING PROGRAM
While maintaining a warm temperature is very important for premature infants, there are some term babies who benefit from a cooler body temperature.
MINIMIZING MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN THE SMALLEST INFANTS
We are interested in the prevention of preterm birth, preventable morbidity and best outcomes for our smallest babies starting at the moment of birth.
FEEDING THE SMALLEST BABIES
We are leaders in studying best approaches to enhancing oral feeds in an effort to minimize mother-infant separation. We are also studying babies' body composition in an effort to optimize infant nutrition and growth.
NICU TRANSPORT PROGRAM
The regional NICU Transport Program provides services for up to 25-50 babies per year from San Jose and surrounding communities.
TRANSITION TO HOME
We wish to get our babies home to their families and communities as soon as it is possible to safely do so.
FULL LIST OF SERVICES & PROGRAM
HIGH-RISK INFANT FOLLOW-UP (HRIF) CLINIC
This clinic provides developmental follow-up for children from birth to age three, who are designated as high risk due to prematurity, low birth weight, or other developmental risk. Early identification and referrals for early intervention for children at risk for neuro-developmental and neurobehavioral delay are also provided. A multidisciplinary team is made up of a physician, medical assistant, developmental specialist, physical therapist, social worker, and family advocate. The team will see each family who comes to the clinic and coordinates observations into a comprehensive assessment and set of recommendations for each patient.
FAMILY CENTERED CARE PROGRAM
The staff of the NICU is empowered to reach out to families and provide them with much needed informational resources and community services. This program allows families to visit their babies in the NICU by providing for transportation, as well as funding group parent meetings hosted in Spanish by our family and baby advocate. The program also supports scrapbooking sessions where families are encouraged to reflect on their babies and their experiences, as well as provides kits with soap, shampoo, and other toiletries for parents who are trying to make the NICU a home way from home. This can make all the difference for families living with the stress of having a baby in the intensive care unit.
OUTREACH, TEACHING
The NICU serves as a center for teaching in the community. Medical students and residents from Stanford University Medical School and Pediatric Residency Training Program come to the NICU as part of their training program, as do pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) fellows. They care for infants and their families in the NICU and attend newborn deliveries. Students from several other universities including UCSF School of Nursing, SJSU School of Nursing and Santa Clara University rotate through our NICU.
The NICU also has a strong community connection to Saint Louise Regional Hospital (SLRH) in Gilroy. Neonatologists from SCVMC provide two lectures monthly at SLRH for continuing medical education opportunities for their staff. The NICU staff also teaches monthly educational case conferences and mock codes that assist in enhancing both clinical skills under pressure and the effectiveness of teamwork in difficult situations
ETHICS COMMITTEE
Infant and Children Ethics Committee serves as an advisory group for hospital staff, patients, their families, and surrogates who are making difficult ethical decisions related to patient care. The committee advises providers and families caring for children less than 18 years of age and provides assistance and resources for decisions with bioethical implications. The ICBC does not, however, make decisions. Rather, it educates members of the hospital community with regard to bioethical issues and dilemmas and facilitates communication among members of the hospital community and caregivers.