Sanford USD Medical Center’s new Boekelheide NICU provides a setting in which the latest technology is available to care for tiny lives in a family friendly environment. The unit is comprised of 45 rooms with a total capacity of 58 babies. Ten rooms are equipped for twins and one room is equipped for triplets.
Families are encouraged to participate in the care of their new babies. With private rooms, families have a more ideal space to create and foster bonds with their infants. Each room has a family area with a sofa, wardrobe, refrigerator and desk. In addition, webcams are available for family members who cannot visit the baby at the bedside.
Also of note, Sanford USD Medical Center has initiated exciting and extensive research on the new NICU with its private patient rooms, focused on both short- and long-term outcomes of care provided in the new space as compared with the traditional NICU environment. Researchers are also looking at how to reduce costs and shorten the length of stay, while measuring parents’ and healthcare providers’ satisfaction.
