Location: Hartford Hospital, 5th Floor North Telephone: 860.545.9750 Fax: 860.545.9059 After Hours: 860.545.9750 Contact Person Whitney Christina 860.545.8950

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center’s neonatal unit (NICU) is located on the 5^th floor of Hartford Hospital, one floor below their Labor & Delivery department. A tunnel connects Hartford Hospital and CCMC, allowing staff and patients to easily move back and forth between the two buildings as needed. The NICU has 32 beds, both intensive care (Level III) and intermediate/convalescent (Level II).

The NICU strives to provide the highest quality care through continuous quality improvement activities. The NICU participates in national organizations to benchmark its outcomes. Areas of excellence confirmed by national comparisons include very low rates of complications such as hospital acquired infections, chronic lung disease, retinopathy of prematurity, and intracranial hemorrhage. Additional clinical areas of expertise and focus include developmental care and lactation support.

Philosophy of Care

The staff who work in the NICU recognize parents as the most important people in the life of their child, and do their utmost to provide Family Centered Care. Parents are encouraged to spend as much time with their baby as they wish, and to take an active role in their baby’s care. We do our best to answer questions with the most current information available at the time. Parents’ suggestions are listened to and acted on to the best of our ability. Each caregiver and staff member is dedicated to acknowledging and respecting the needs of the family, while providing a safe environment and state-of-the-art care to their child.

Family Visiting

Parents and grandparents are welcome to visit their NICU baby any time they wish.

Because newborns requiring care in our NICU are very susceptible to infection and can easily be stressed, we have a few guidelines for visiting. We discourage visiting for anyone who is ill with a cold, flu, stomach ache, fever, or infectious illness like chicken pox. If you (or friends and family members) have any of these symptoms, please call ahead and talk to your baby’s nurse. He/she can give you guidance about visiting. Whenever you or other family members visit, it is very important you wash your hands carefully before touching your baby. The NICU staff will teach you about this important way of preventing the spread of infection to your baby. We may also ask that you limit the number of visitors near your baby at any one time. Babies are very sensitive to noise and activity and too many people talking and touching at once can be very stressful. We generally ask that you limit the number of visitors to two at a time, and friends and extended family members must be accompanied by a parent.

To make it easier for you to stay near your baby, we have five rooms where one or both parents can stay overnight. A waiting room and small kitchenette are available for family and friends.

For Professionals

Nurses in the CCMC NICU practice using a modified primary nursing model. To maximize continuity of care, we use a primary team approach. Currently, ten primary nursing teams exist to provide care to patients and families. A staff "primary nursing" committee is responsible for assigning new staff to teams, to blend experienced staff with newer staff, and to take into account different work schedules. NICU RNs do self-scheduling, and most nurses work a combination of 8-hour and 12-hour shifts. New staff receive an individualized orientation to the unit (generally 12-20 weeks, depending on experience), including a formal didactic course on neonatal pathophysiology and common disease entities.