The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center provides comprehensive care of sick newborns. It is staffed 24 hours a day by experienced nurses, respiratory therapists, and neonatal nurse practitioners/physician assistants. All care is supervised by board-certified Neonatologists.

NICUs are special nurseries designed to take care of infants who are considered to be high risk due to either their premature birth or to particular illnesses they have.

Nurseries are often classified by the level of care they are equipped and certified to provide. The healthiest infants are cared for in Level I units. While being equipped to provide continuing care for healthy newborns, staff members are also trained to resuscitate and stabilize sick infants for transfer to nurseries that provide for more complicated care.

Moderately sick infants are cared for in Level II units, which also provide services as in a Level I nursery. Level III nurseries (NICUs) are equipped to provide comprehensive care to the sickest of newborns. This is the level of care provided at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. In addition to direct patient care, Level III units participate in research and educational activities. New technologies developed for newborn care are usually initially evaluated in Level III units.

The commitment of a hospital to provide Level III neonatal intensive care is quite significant in terms of equipment and personnel. Infants who are critically ill require around-the-clock supervision by staff who are skilled in providing respiratory and cardiac support.

At the same time, the staff has the difficult task of providing as nurturing and as comfortable an environment as possible in an intensive-care setting.

• About our Staff
• For Parents and Families
• Neonatal Follow-Up Clinics
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