Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn Invests $4M in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

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Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn has completed renovations for their neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which cares for babies that are premature, born with underdeveloped organs, and facing medical conditions such as sepsis, seizures, or heart defects.

The renovation was funded by a $2 million grant from The Carls Foundation and an additional $2 million from the Beaumont Health Foundation.

The year-long renovation was completed in six separate phases to create more space, provide new equipment, and improve patient care. The unit provides several forms of new technology and equipment including a Giraffe incubator, which is a neonatal environment that provides a canopy that moves up and down allowing the temperature to be more accurately controlled, among other therapeutic techniques.

“Thanks to the grant, we’ve been able to purchase much-needed upgraded equipment,” says Valerie Halt-Williams, clinical nurse manager of women and children’s health at Beaumont. “This means a lot to us. We are now able to deliver great care in a great atmosphere with the best equipment.”

Other renovations and equipment at Beaumont’s NICU include open layouts, new lighting, walls, and flooring, more private spaces including a breastfeeding prep and family consultation area, additional nurse workspaces, personal lockers in the family waiting room, and an updated “going-home” room to help families transition from the hospital to the home environment.

IN RELATED NEWS, Beaumont Children’s Hospital today announced it is the first Michigan health care organization hospital to offer the Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Therapy for children with epilepsy. Recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, VNS Therapy is one of the smallest and lightest devices available for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, and works by sending electrical impulses to the brain to reduce the frequency and duration of seizures.

The programming system includes a wireless wand and interface on a small tablet. The device works by sending electrical impulses to the brain to reduce the number of seizures, lessen the duration of seizures, and enable a faster recovery.

If a patient’s heart rate suddenly elevates, which is common during a seizure, the device sends a signal to the brain to try to stop the seizure.

“This device could help many children with epilepsy,” says Dr. Daniel Arndt, Beaumont Children’s pediatric epileptologist and director of the Beaumont Children’s comprehensive, multidisciplinary Pediatric Epilepsy Program. “It provides Beaumont Children’s clinicians the data necessary to identify seizure timing and frequency and eliminate or reduce the seizures.”

More information on Beaumont’s NICU renovations can be read here.