NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- Expecting parents in southern Indiana are getting new peace of mind with a brand new addition at a local hospital.
Baptist Health Floyd opened its new neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on Monday.
It's been a six-year process for the hospital on State Street in New Albany. Last April, the Indiana Department of Health approved the hospital's requirements for certification.
The Level II Obstetric and Neonatal Care facility has six bays. The unit is equipped to help infants born as early as 32 weeks or more, and those with a need for respiratory support, have low blood sugar or need their food managed.
"We have much more extensive monitoring capabilities. We have nurse practitioners and neonatologists," Mike Schroyer, Baptist Health Floyd president, said. "We're working with Norton Children's in regards to that to provide that intensive care to these babies. A lot more medication regiments that we can do here."
Baptist said the new facility will cut down on the number of babies who have to be transferred across the river to Louisville.
"We heard loud and clear from people, they wanted to stay closer to home. So now they can have their babies and we can take care of a higher level of sick baby after delivery here instead of having to transfer them across the river," said Schroyer.
The new NICU was made possible thanks to several grants.
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