Nearly one-third of the most fragile babies born at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is transferred to neonatal intensive care units at other hospitals because the NICU often reaches capacity.
Meanwhile, their mothers remain at Providence Holy Cross, still recovering from giving birth.
That is expected to change in the spring when the expanded NICU is due to open at the busy Mission Hills hospital. Getting the project to the finish line got a boost of $750,000 in federal funding secured last month by US Rep. Tony Cárdenas and approved by President Joe Biden in this year’s government funding bill.
“I’m happy to have contributed to the completion of the NICU expansion by securing $750,000 in Community Project Funding for Providence Holy Cross Medical Center,” said Congressman Cárdenas. “Some of my most important work in Congress is ensuring that organizations that help our community get the funding they need.”
Cárdenas called this project “The Keeping Families Together NICU Expansion.”
“Providence Holy Cross extends its deepest gratitude to Congressman Cárdenas for his commitment to our community and these most vulnerable families,” said Bernard Klein, M.D., the hospital’s chief executive. “We are thrilled the expanded NICU will open soon and enable us to keep our babies close to their parents.”
The newly expanded NICU will have six additional cribs for a total of 18, a new cooling system to lower the temperature of a baby after a traumatic labor experience and secure private cameras at each bed so loved ones can watch the tiny patients from home, said Bev Holland, DNP, RN, the hospital’s executive director of Maternal Child Health.
“Thanks to this gift and others, we’ll be able to keep our babies here in our community rather than separating mom and baby,” said Holland, who has seen babies born less than one pound survive and thrive. “Our community is growing, and we want to be able to meet the needs with the highest quality of care for our littlest patients.”