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Building Healthy Futures for Our Children Together A 21st Century NICU Every child begins the world again
Like Kosair Charities UofL Health envisions a world in which children in need live life to the fullest Kosair Charities has been a steadfast leader and partner in helping UofL Health enhance the health and well being of children through generous support of Peace Hospital Frazier Rehabilitation the Brown Cancer Center and our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit NICU Your vision has touched thousands of families across our hospitals and helped bring better outcomes access support and recovery to countless children in need After forty years of serving medically fragile newborns and infants at the University of Louisville Hospital our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is poised to move to the next level of care through the construction of a modern NICU facility Our NICU serves over 400 families annually and nearly 90 of our patients are low income The current facilities do not allow families to stay with their newborns which hinders bonding recovery and at home care for infants that are already medically fragile and primarily from underserved communities We ask that Kosair Charities again join us in creating a world in which all children are able to live life to the fullest beginning at birth and support our efforts to construct a modern Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UofL Hospital Total project costs will be approximately 20 million so we are asking you to pledge 10 million toward this multiyear phased project UofL Health will match your support and offer you naming rights at the project s completion in 2026 Your generous support will help bring long term healing and better life outcomes for at risk newborns and families in our community With gratitude for your generosity past present and future Tom Miller CEO tom miller uoflhealth org 502 681 1480 Tonya W Robinson M D Director Neonatal Intensive Care Unit twrobi01 louisville edu 502 852 8470 Elea M Fox M U P Vice President of Philanthropy elea fox uoflhealth org 502 415 8629
s h ared values K osair for Kids and UofL Health UofL Hospital NICU share a commitment to bettering lives and outcomes for all children Kosair for Kids is the largest charity for children in the history of Kentucky and Southern Indiana For nearly a century Kosair for Kids has helped children reach their potential while overcoming their obstacles By advancing healthcare research education social services and child advocacy your focus is on what children need to succeed Kosair for Kids mission is in perfect alignment with UofL Health s mission of transforming the health of the communities we serve through compassionate innovative patient centered care It is what we strive to do every day in our NICU at UofL Health UofL Hospital We feel it is our responsibility to make sure every child and family has access to quality neonatal care regardless of socio economic status Quality neonatal care is the first step to ensure positive outcomes for our community s most fragile and vulnerable children around and get a few more tickets It s just good business Montu adds Building Healthy Futures for Our Children Together A 21st Century NICU 3
t h e n e ed for quality n e o nata l c a re Babies may need to be admitted to neonatal services for a number of reasons including They are born early 1 in 10 babies 1 in 8 in Kentucky are born prematurely and babies born before 34 weeks may need extra help with breathing feeding and keeping warm They are very small and have a low birth weight They have an infection Their mother is diabetic or has another long term condition The delivery was very difficult and they need to be kept under close observation They have very marked jaundice They are awaiting or recovering from complex surgery They are suffering from drug or alcohol withdrawal Why invest in UofL Health s NICU The need is great We are located in the largest city in the Commonwealth with the highest volume of low in come families and highest rates of substance abuse In FY 21 88 of the NICU babies had Medicaid or were able to obtain Medicaid We serve a diverse and underserved population 60 of our NICU patients are Black Asian or other race ethnicity Our patients are medically fragile 8 of our NICU patients are those weighing less than two pounds at delivery This percentage has been on an upward trend over the last few years with 9 of our patients in 2022 falling in this category
overview and state of I NICU today n 2021 there were 417 infants admitted to UofL Health UofL Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit NICU Our Level III NICU has 24 beds and is one of the largest in the region Our services and team give infants a chance at life as well as provide interventions that reduce long term trauma to the child and provide support for the mother during a time of tremendous need The team is specially trained to provide comprehensive multidisciplinary around the clock care to fragile term and premature infants Our NICU can care for infants born at 22 weeks gestation to infants born post dates We offer all modes of respiratory thermal and nutritional support Our neonatal specialists with UofL Physicians participate in a state supported high risk infant follow up program The doctors follow the health of premature babies up to eight years to help support the pediatrician s primary care We also plan an annual Trunk or Treat Halloween Celebration which is a reunion for our NICU families NICU Reunions for our families Despite our best efforts we are limited by an outdated 1980s facilities model which is an open nursery pod plan three pods of eight cribs and two 80 sq ft Floorplan of NICU currently isolation rooms There is no privacy and very little opportunity for families to bond with the infant Building Healthy Futures for Our Children Together A 21st Century NICU 5
what a modern facility looks like Gone are the days where NICU spaces have an open plan Today s NICU spaces are private spaces that facilitate infant caregiver bonding Three primary types Open Private NICU Bays 165 to 180 sq ft Closed Private NICU Rooms 175 to 185 sq ft Closed Private Room in Rooms 190 to 240 sq ft
impact of modern state of the art facility T he move to private NICU spaces would make a powerful impact on the outcomes of the fragile newborns served by the UofL Hospital Center for Women and Infants Lack of transportation as well as affordable lodging near the hospital are issues for many of our families Allowing caregivers to stay in the hospital with their infants removes that barrier and allows our parents to bond with their baby 24 hours a day and not have to leave the area to shower or use the restroom This improves parent satisfaction and has been shown to improve communication with healthcare providers Multiple significant improvements in infant outcomes have been documented as well For example infants housed in units with single patient spaces versus open bays have shown reductions in neurodevelopmental issues reduced rates of intraventricular hemorrhage improved sleep less irritability greater temperature stability faster weight gain reductions in hospital acquired infections and reductions in length of stay As our hospital expands and more space becomes available a unit redesign to include single patient rooms would make a great impact on the health outcomes of our tiniest patients Benefits of a new NICU with private spaces Increased bonding between caregivers and infant Decreased noise level to spend a peaceful bonding experience with the infant Privacy to visit with infant without others close by Decreased parental anxiety Removes transportation and lodging barriers Decrease occurrence of readmission due to parents being better prepared to care for infant at home Decreased length of stay due to decrease in environmental overstimulation for our neonatal abstinence infants Improved sleep of infants and caregivers Reduction in neurodevelopmental issues Fewer health complications and faster weight gain This all equates to better short and long term outcomes for our medically fragile infants Building Healthy Futures for Our Children Together A 21st Century NICU 7
the impact of a state of the art facility I ve been a NICU nurse and leader for over 32 years It s been my dream to have a NICU where parents of infants needing to withdraw from substances could stay with their baby learn to comfort and care for their baby and be a part of their babies recovery This may motivate parents to want recovery for themselves A NICU with single patient rooms would allow parents to have that privilege Reetta Stikes MSN RNC NIC CLC Director Center for Women Infants We serve women of various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds Having a NICU with private rooms would allow all our mothers to have the best experience possible no matter their cultural background economic status or location of residence It would allow many of our families that have transportation challenges to stay with their infant to promote bonding and decrease stress and anxiety for our postpartum mothers as well as better prepare them to care for their infant upon discharge Amanda Gardner MSN RNC NIC Clinical Manager Neonatal Intensive Care Unit It has now been over 23 years since any major renovation of our NICU has taken place This NICU has stood the test of time but as such no longer meets what is considered the standard of care for this unique and fragile patient population The benefits of providing single family rooms are numerous and the possibility for such renovation of our unit will dramatically impact and enhance the care we can provide for our patients and their families Tonya W Robinson M D Director Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
prop o s a l and renderin g s T o move us to this next level we are looking at a major addition and expansion We would keep our current number of beds but move from cribs in pods to room in spaces to allow families to stay overnight The NICU would be built over the current 1990 s Emergency Department first floor expansion Note that UofL Health would need to build a second floor shell so that the NICU could be built on top of that That is an additional 4 8 million which is not included in the NICU number quoted below Total square footage 13 620 sq ft Timeline 30 month phased project NICU 3rd floor construction cost 19 105 400 Building Healthy Futures for Our Children Together A 21st Century NICU 9
Thank you In the last three years alone Kosair Charities has given nearly 700K to UofL Health s NICU for lifesaving equipment We hope you will consider continuing and expanding this important partnership Aubrey Joyce Schlater The NICU matters because the knowledge compassion and discipline of their staff enables parents to have a sense of peace trusting that this new life is in the hands of someone who is able to provide love Natalie Schlater Aubrey s Mom
Stevan Stamenkovic UofL Hospital NICU has been a blessing to our family They are the reason our son is standing walking running talking and playing with his sister today Casey Stamenkovic Stevan s Mom Jacob Wilson UofL Hospital NICU is amazing I will always grieve my angel Joshua but it s thanks to the NICU that we have had the last six years with Jacob Jackie Wilson Jacob s Mom founder of Josh s Gift Building Healthy Futures for Our Children Together A 21st Century NICU 11
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