Happening Now

Children’s of Alabama Expands Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to Meet Growing Needs

Children's of Alabama Expands Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Birmingham, AL – Children’s of Alabama has announced the expansion of its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), adding six new beds to its Level IV unit, increasing the total to 54 private rooms. The expansion includes state-of-the-art facilities and specialized resources to accommodate the increasing demand for critical care services for neonates and infants.

The NICU now houses four ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) rooms and remains the only unit in Alabama providing dialysis for premature infants. With over 400 babies relying on the NICU annually, the hospital’s largest team—comprising 250 staff members—delivers care to preterm and term neonates with a wide range of conditions.

“We care for patients from birth to two years of age, ranging from critical to our complex chronic population,” said Jill Jones Smith, director of the NICU. “This addition will allow our team to continue to provide family-centered care in private rooms for our smallest patients. Our NICU regularly has a waitlist of surgical neonates from referring hospitals that require our services. These extra bassinets will help alleviate wait times and help us get to those patients and families even faster.”

The expanded area includes advanced facilities such as:

  • A dedicated nurse station.
  • Medication and milk storage rooms.
  • An equipment room.
  • Specialty equipment, technology, and furniture designed for the comfort and care of patients and their families.

These updates are part of Children’s of Alabama’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge, family-centered care.

Children’s of Alabama has experienced record-breaking patient volumes in recent years, reflecting an increased need for inpatient space. The NICU expansion addresses this growing demand, ensuring that Alabama’s youngest patients have access to the highest quality care.

Since its founding in 1911, Children’s of Alabama has been a cornerstone of specialized medical care for ill and injured children. The hospital, a private, not-for-profit institution, serves as the teaching hospital for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) pediatric programs. It has been consistently ranked among the best children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

With this expansion, Children’s of Alabama reinforces its role as a vital resource for families across the state, providing advanced care to those who need it most.

 

Children's of Alabama Expands Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Paid Advertisement – Click for More Information

Debbie Hess for BOE
WPD Ad

Paid Advertisement – Click for More Information

Advertise with the Calhoun Journal photo
Julie Borrelli for Probate

Paid Advertisement – Click for More Information

JLM Coms

Paid Advertisement – Click for More Information

McClellan Inn Ad