Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach has received a Certificate of Need exemption for a Level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) designation.
The exemption was approved by the state Agency for Health Care Administration after baby Lydia Blair Baker was born at the hosptial on Nov. 23 becoming the 1,500th infant born at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in a rolling year – from December 2013 through November 2014.
A Level II NICU is equipped with incubators, ventilators, and specialized monitoring equipment and cares for sick and premature newborn infants born at 32-weeks gestational age or greater who need medical care related to various medical conditions. This includes caring for babies who can't stay warm on their own and need to be placed in an incubator or aren't strong enough to eat well and need assistance feeding. In addition, a Level II NICU can care for infants with mild health problems related to prematurity, such as jaundice or apnea of prematurity.
“We have been licensed as a Level I Neonatal Nursery, but have been planning for a Level II NICU for quite some time now. For years, we have had the advanced technology, the specialized equipment and the skilled, expert medical staff needed to provide Level II NICU care, we just didn’t have the designation from the state,” said said Becky Vernon, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center director of women and children’s services.
In preparation for the Level II NICU, the hospital will spend $10 million in construction and equipment.
The Level II NICU is expected to open by summer 2015.