Family Centered Care
Parents and caregivers are a crucial part of the care team at Sisters Hospital NICU. During an infant's stay, our staff will work with families to ensure their comfort and understanding of their child's condition and treatment.
The unit features private rooms, which enhance the individualized care provided to each baby, while also giving families the privacy and convenience to support their babies' special needs. Designated "family only" spaces on the floor allow loved ones to stay nearby when they are not in the room.
Special rooms are also available to accommodate families with multiple births.
Our NICU Team
Our NICU staff is an experienced care team, which includes providers with various medical specialties. Neonatologists; registered nurses; lactation consultants; physical, occupational, and respiratory therapists; and other clinical staff all work together to ensure the safety and quality care of our patients.
All of our physical and occupational therapists in the NICU have received specialty certification in either Infant Massage Instruction (CIMI) and/or Neonatal Touch & Massage (NTMC). These areas of expertise signify advanced skills in proper handling, positioning, skin-to-skin, infant massage, swaddled bathing and other care practice techniques, including myofascial trigger point release.
This comprehensive approach to neonatal care guarantees that every baby is getting the personalized treatment he or she needs.
Stay Informed with the Ease App
The Ease App is a secure, messaging platform that connects families with videos, photos, and texts of their baby in real time. Even if you are physically separated, you will be totally connected to your baby.
Ease keeps parents, extended family, and friends calm and informed by allowing medical professionals the ability to provide updates throughout a baby’s NICU stay. By connecting a mobile device to a patient’s medical bracelet, the Ease app can be updated from anywhere so families are always connected to their babies.
Download Ease from the App Store or Google Play.
Transfer to the NICU at Sisters Hospital
The Neonatal Transport Team at Sisters of Charity Hospital provides emergent ground transport of critically ill and premature newborns in need of immediate care. Our emergency hospital transfers are seamless. We offer:
- Immediate Neonatal ICU access
- Ongoing Communication: Our transport team will stay in touch to give arrival time updates, clarify questions about care and provide ongoing medical information.
- Family Centered Care: Our transport specialists care for our tiny patients and their families. They provide comprehensive and comforting care throughout the process. Parent and support persons are welcome to visit baby 24/7 in the Sisters’ NICU.
What to Expect Upon Arrival
The hospital faces Main St. You may park in the visitor lot in front of the hospital and enter through main entrance. If arriving between 8pm - 6am, you will enter through the ER entrance. You will then check in with security and the NICU will be made aware of your arrival.
Once at the NICU, you will be greeted by the Unit Clerk before entry. You will then pass through to our locked unit, and be greeted by your baby’s nurse and provider.
Please ask your nurse about parking passes that are free for parents, up to 2 per family. You will obtain these from the Unit Clerk at the entrance of the NICU.
We Care About the Details
Our state-of-the-art NICU includes design features to help make infants and their families more comfortable.
- Special lighting and sound controls create a soothing environment for delicate preemies and infants with audio/visual sensitivities
- Infection control features help keep our small patients safe from the smallest germs
- In-room conveniences include specially-designed infant bathing sinks and personal refrigeration units to store breast milk and formula
- Convertible furniture is available in each private room to allow parents to sleep in the same space as their baby or babies
