By Mary O’KEEFE

Having a child is the most exciting and frightening time of a parent’s life. For most, the birth process is routine, meaning lots of pain for mom, some deep “cleansing breaths,” and then, when it is over, that amazing moment when the child is placed in the arms of mom and dad. But for some, “routine” is not to be.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S. in 2016 about one in 10 babies was born too early. These babies are generally whisked away from mom and dad and put into a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), but USC Verdugo Hills Hospital is about to change that procedure.

On Thursday, tours were given of the hospital’s brand new NICU, which is scheduled to open next week.

“We have all private rooms,” said USC-VHH CEO Keith Hobbs. “Moms and dads will have privacy to hold and cuddle their [newborns].” The rooms are also equipped with a chair/bed that allows a parent to stay close to their child.

The NICU is composed of six private rooms that are equipped with state-of-the-art technology including a camera that is mounted on top of the incubators. Family members can download an application that will allow them to view, on their computer or smartphone, their child during his or her stay. This allows, for example, grandparents who are not in the area to monitor the progress of their new grandchild.

That technology extends to the medical personnel as well with all data concerning the baby wirelessly transmitted to nurses’ and doctors’ computers.

“Doctors can constantly monitor their patients,” Hobbs added.

Bringing a 1970s building up to the high tech unit it is now took about $3 million, Hobbs added.

“We had to bring everything down to the studs,” he said of the massive undertaking.

However, medical staff and administration feel it was well worth the time – and dust – because now soon-to-be parents can be confident in delivering their child at their community hospital now that it has a fully equipped state-of-the-art NICU.

USC-VHH personnel reached out to other hospitals that had NICUs, including Providence St. Joseph and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, for guidance and support.

“It has been a great collaborative effort,” said RN Jessica Thomas, clinical director of the hospital’s ER.

The NICU has a staff of about 12 nurses and five respiratory therapists in addition to occupational therapists. All are working toward providing the best neonatal care for babies and support for parents and families. Each has a specific job; the occupational therapists will support moms with instruction on nursing their child, which is particularly important once mother and child arrive home.

“The nurses and doctors do most of the parent training, but the occupational therapist is key,” Thomas said. “There is a lot of effort in helping the parents have confidence as they [prepare] to take their baby home.”

Hobbs’ focus is to make USC-VHH the community hospital that locals “think of first” when considering medical care. He explained that medical personnel in the ER are pediatric certified.

“You can bring your kids here,” Hobbs said.

He added the ER wait time at USC-VHH over the last year is an average of 28 minutes, compared to an eight-hour ER wait at another local hospital, he said.

“You have a gem in your backyard,” he said.

That community feeling is found in the doctors and nurses who work at the hospital, including Dr. Steven Hartford who has been at VHH for 33 years and has delivered 6,000 babies. He said the NICU is just part of the improvements at the hospital.

“It is just a piece of the puzzle in Keith’s goal to make this hospital even more of a community asset then it already is,” Hartford said. “When you come down to it, it is about serving our community.”

  Mary Okeefe