Doctor examines newborn in incubator

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

2273.0 miles away
818-847-6332
Fax: 818-847-6339
Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week

A premature infant or delivery complication is an unexpected challenge for any parent, and often the neonatal intensive care unit can seem like strange and uninviting places. At Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, we strive to change that experience. Our Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is designed to provide highly specialized care for babies regardless of birth weight, gestational age or place of birth.

By working closely with each parent and creating a supportive and compassionate environment, our neonatal team provides some of the most advanced equipment and strategies of care available for diagnosing and treating critically ill newborns.

Through personalized care, we also acknowledge and respect each family's cultural needs and preferences during the course of a child’s treatment.

Infants who require an enhanced level of care often have to be transferred between different pieces of equipment during treatment. Because transfers can cause stress and potential harm to a baby, our NICU features innovative and high-tech bassinets called “Giraffes.”

The Giraffe significantly reduces the need to transfer infants because it can be used as an open table warmer when the infant needs maximum accessibility and can be converted into an incubator/isolette with the touch of a button. Along with providing safety and comfort to infants, the Giraffe: 

  • Provides a temperature-controlled environment
  • Blocks outside light and sound
  • Weighs the baby
  • Rotates 360 degrees
  • Provides a setting where surgery can be conducted, if necessary

In order to help enhance a parent’s bond with their newborn, the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center NICU offers Kangaroo Care, a method of skin-to-skin contact coordinated around a baby’s daily care routine.

Kangaroo Care is important for all newborns, but especially important whenever possible for premature infants as it helps with vital development. Further benefits include:

  • Improved attachment between baby and parents
  • Promotion of longer and deeper sleep cycles for the infant
  • Promotion of breast milk production in the mother and successful breast feeding for mother and baby
  • Improved infant digestion
  • A calming and relaxing experience for parents and baby

In the NICU, we understand that each infant has individual needs that require specific treatment plans. This is why each of our newborn patients is assigned a personal NICU team.

The NICU team assesses any respiratory disorders, blood disorders, heart problems, growth problems, infections or other conditions affecting your baby to determine the most effective treatments.

The NICU team also makes sure that you, as a parent, play an active role in the treatment and recovery of your baby. Along with you, your infant’s personal care team may consist of: 

  • Neonatologists
  • Neonatal nurses
  • Respiratory therapists
  • Lactation consultants
  • Laboratory technologists
  • Pharmacists
  • Therapists
  • Social workers
  • Case managers
  • Counselors

In an effort to provide the highest quality care, Saint Joseph Medical Center’s intensive infant care team encourages parents to be involved in all aspects of their newborn's care, such as holding, feeding, changing diapers and bathing. Parents and caregivers have 24-hour access to babies and also benefit from services such as:

  • Phototherapy
  • Oxygen therapy
  • Nutrition support
  • Blood tests
  • Ultrasounds
mom-and-daughter-hugging
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