West Penn Hospital on Wednesday unveiled a new, $23 million neonatal intensive care unit to provide care for premature babies.
The 16,500-square-foot unit at the Bloomfield facility features 23 private rooms and state of the art treatment capabilities. Three of the rooms are designated for twins.
There also are beds that allow parents to sleep with their babies; a lounge area for parents, which includes kitchen facilities and showers; cameras that allow parents to watch their child from a smartphone, laptop or tablet; a smartphone-based, pager-free notification system that provides immediate alerts to nurses when an infants’ vital signs change; and an enhanced security system.
West Penn treats more than 1,000 critically ill infants annually from more than 200 communities throughout western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, according to Allegheny Health Network. Officials said the unit is the first phase of an expansion and renovation of the program that will continue over the next year.
Madasyn Czebiniak is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Madasyn at 724-226-4702, mczebiniak@tribweb.com, or via Twitter @maddyczebstrib.
