July 7, 2006

NICU of the future opens on Blake 10

Following three years of planning and construction, the MGH's new, state-of-the-art Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at last celebrated its completion with a festive open house June 29. Located on Blake 10, the new unit features 13,110 square feet of contemporary clinic and patient care space.

The new NICU is five times as large as the former unit on Ellison 3 and can serve up to 18 newborns and their families at full capacity. "This is really a 'NICU of the future,'" says Robert Insoft, MD, medical director of the NICU. "Not only does the design of this larger unit encompass the whole family, but it also includes operating room space for general surgical or cardiac procedures to take place in the unit. This allows our clinicians to perform procedures without having to move the newborns.

As a family-focused area, the new NICU features comfortable and private space for each family to ensure that the infant and parents are comfortable. "Each baby has a private area dedicated to him or her so that family members can have some privacy with their newborn," says Jennifer Cheney, MHA, NICU operations coordinator." A number of rooms include a day bed and extra chairs so that parents can stay overnight with their infant."

One of the major aesthetic differences between the former and new NICU is a beautiful view of the Charles River along one side of the unit and a charming view of downtown Boston along the other side. Parents and siblings can make use of a special waiting area equipped with free wireless Internet access, a children's play area and a large tropical fish aquarium.

"The design of our new NICU gives us the opportunity to partner with parents and include them in all aspects of their infants' care," says Peggy Settle, RN, NICU nurse manager. "We are proud to have one of the most modern NICUs in northeast America."

The Blake 10 NICU will be open to patients beginning in August. Others involved in developing the new NICU are Peter L. Slavin, MD, MGH president; Dorothy Haney, MGH Real Estate project manager; Payette Architecture Associates and Walsh Brothers.

From left, MGH physician leaders Fred Frigoletto, MD, Jay Vacanti, MD, and Isaac Schiff, MD