Waukesha NICU officially reopens

ProHealth Care’s newly renovated neonatal intensive care unit is now open on the third floor at ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital. The redesigned unit focuses on family-centered care, with fully equipped private patient rooms for parents and babies, including twins and triplets.

A new birthing unit and NICU entrance features a touchless handwashing station for everyone who enters the area, and large, lighted panels with images that evoke feelings of joy and a sense of calm.

A new room for twins includes isolettes, private space for families, and space for medical equipment and patient care. Convertible furniture allows a family member to stay overnight.

Single patient rooms include the same equipment and furnishings as rooms for twins and triplets.

A family lounge includes a kitchenette and private showers.

A large central nurse station allows staff workspace along with workstations located outside of each patient room.

The new birthing unit and NICU entrance features a touchless handwashing station for everyone who enters the area, and large, lighted panels with images that evoke feelings of joy and a sense of calm. “The staff were heavily involved in the renovation,” said Megan Anderson, director of clinical operations. “A lot of thought and a lot of heart went into the design.”

Each of the new patient rooms includes an isolette, private space for families, and space for medical equipment and patient care. Convertible furniture allows a family member to stay overnight. A curtain can be drawn to allow families privacy when staff are in the room, for example in the night or when a mother is pumping milk for a baby.

Recessed lighting can be programmed to dim or brighten over the isolette and includes small star-like lights. Lowering and raising the lights on a schedule helps babies adjust their biological clock to circadian rhythms. Other features of the new NICU include:

• A large central nurse station and workstations outside patient rooms.
• Lighting and noise controls and webcams in each patient room.
• Two patient isolation rooms with protection from airborne contagions.
• A family lounge with a kitchenette and private showers.

The introduction of new technology allows the team to wirelessly integrate clinical data from various systems into one platform for easy access on desktop or hand-held devices. The update will allow staff to share and view monitored NICU patients’ health data, giving them near real-time access to the clinical data needed to make informed clinical decisions.

A team of nursing professionals, neonatal nurse practitioners and neonatologists provides NICU care in Waukesha around the clock. Respiratory therapists, occupational therapists and social workers are also core members of the care team. The Waukesha team includes 45 nurses. Pediatric subspecialists in cardiology, neurology, gastroenterology, nephrology and other subspecialties also are available.

The project also included a rooftop expansion to allow space for the construction of two new surgical suites for C-sections. The post-surgical recovery area and patient rooms were also updated and new equipment was added. The changes allow for quicker surgical response times and more space for multiple births.

Donate now