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UVA Health Children’s in Charlottesville, Virginia, is expanding its neonatal intensive care unit, nearly doubling the number of beds due to a rising need for newborn care in the area.
UVA said its 60-bed neonatal intensive care unit is regularly at capacity, which means the hospital can’t always accept patients from other hospitals across the state who need care from neonatal specialists.
To expand access, UVA Health Children’s is adding 40 beds to its neonatal intensive care unit at UVA Health University Medical Center, bringing the total number of beds in the unit to 100.
“This expansion is vital to making sure every patient who needs care in our NICU can receive it,” said UVA Health University Medical Center CEO Wendy Horton.
WHAT’S THE IMPACT
Tending to the medical needs of such young patients requires a readily available team of experts, along with up-to-date facilities and equipment, the hospital said, which necessitates the expansion.
While UVA Health Children’s continues to invest in initiatives such as new care providers and clinical trials, the hospital said the expanded neonatal ICU is perhaps the most important component when it comes to improving care quality for patients.
Dr. Madhu Misra, physician in chief for UVA Health Children’s and chair of UVA’s Department of Pediatrics, said her team is excited about the planned expansion.
“The goal of our incredible team in the neonatal intensive care unit is to provide every patient who can benefit from our highly specialized experts with the care they need,” she said. “We are looking forward to serving even more patients and families in the years ahead.”
The expanded neonatal intensive care unit is slated to open in 2028. Once the additions are complete, UVA Health Children’s said it plans to expand its pediatric intensive care unit.
THE LARGER TREND
The United Health Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of UnitedHealth Group, awarded more than $7 million in new grants this month to increase access to maternal and infant healthcare.
The grants are also expected to address gaps in care for women and children and to grow and support the doula workforce in Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico and Wisconsin.
In making the announcement, the foundation cited America’s Health Rankings Maternal & Infant Health Disparities Data Brief and America’s Health Rankings 2024 Health of Women and Children Report, which show that maternal mortality increased 34% between 2014-2018, and between 2018-2022.
Nationally, infant mortality remains persistently high at 5.5 deaths per 1,000 births, with significant differences across population groups, data showed.
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: [email protected]
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.
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