Coming this spring is a Tier 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on the fourth floor of Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH). This means neonates (of specific gestation and birth weight) needing intensive care can stay close to home instead of being flown out of town to a larger centre for specialized care.
This great step forward in advanced neonatal care at KBRH began in September 2022, when the regional hospital was approved for Tier 3 nursery status. The NICU will house three nursery beds with 24/7 nursing care.
The hospital’s current status is Tier 2, meaning the unit is staffed only when there is a baby needing care.
A Tier 3 NICU also means that services can be provided to newborns of at least 34 weeks gestation and at least 1,800 grams or four pounds in weight, who present moderate risk requiring acute care.
As well, this higher level of specialized care means an urgent/emergent baby born at a minimum 32 weeks gestation and at least 1,500 grams or 3.3 pounds with appropriate weight for gestational age may be able to remain at KBRH.
Moreover, this service increase will also allow for the repatriation of babies from Tier 4 to Tier 6 sites, such as Vancouver, Kelowna, and Kamloops hospitals, to the unit at KBRH. The NICU can also accept infants from Tier 1 and 2 sites, such as Kootenay Lake Hospital.
“Tier 3 Nursery status will positively impact patients and families of our region,” says Lisa Pasin, KBRH Health Foundation executive director. “It will allow mothers and babies to have access to appropriate, safe, and quality care closer to home, strengthening maternal/child care across the Kootenay Boundary region.”
Read more: #Local News
Sheri