Loma Linda University Children's Hospital has a neonatal intensive care unit.
Loma Linda University Health News reported on the NICU expansion. The NICU has been described as one of the largest and most advanced in the world, and hospital staff say they expect to care for an estimated 150 additional patients annually because of the added space.
What's Inside the New Rooms
Each of the nine new rooms is built for both medical care and family presence. The report notes that every room includes two clinical workstations, an infant isolette, and monitoring equipment alongside dedicated family space.
Families will also find a sleep chair, a rocker intended for skin-to-skin contact, and a privacy curtain in each room. Jessica Holtorf, director of NICU patient care services, said the setup is meant to let families participate directly in their baby's care, adding that the rooms are designed for comfort and practical family involvement.
A Piece of a $135 Million Grant
The expansion was funded in part by the Children's Hospital Program of 2018, also known as California Proposition 4, the hospital says. LLUCH received a total grant allocation of $135 million through that program, which the hospital's earlier announcement said supported six major projects across the children's hospital.
Peter Baker, senior vice president and LLUCH administrator, said the project significantly advances care for premature and critically ill newborns and represents a significant investment in the future of regional neonatal care. Baker said a portion of the grant funding enabled the NICU expansion to meet growing family needs across Southern California and beyond. U.S. News & World Report has named LLUCH a best children's hospital for neonatology, the hospital's report notes.
Other NICU Projects
Texas Children's in Austin announced a $39 million project in August that would roughly double its NICU from 14 rooms to 31, with Texas Children's saying the added capacity could allow it to care for as many as 300 additional newborns needing critical care each year. In Utah, Ogden Regional Medical Center's NICU project, expected to finish in 2027, will add six private patient suites, update its existing 14 suites, and include a Ronald McDonald family room, according to KSL.com.
A randomized controlled trial at IWK Health in Halifax compared single-family-room and open-bay NICU care operating simultaneously between April 2018 and June 2019, enrolling 85 infants split between the two designs. The study found no significant difference in its composite primary outcome of death or neurodevelopmental impairment at 36 months corrected age, though it did report lower mortality among infants assigned to single-family rooms compared with those in open-bay care.
