Level II NICU Opens

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., August 8, 2016 On Aug. 7, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center officially opened a 16-bed Level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to care for sick and premature babies, expanding the hospital's bed count from 277 to 293.

The hospital celebrated this milestone with the community, offering tours of the new NICU to the public, as well as games and refreshments.

Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Centers new Level II NICU is the only one in Volusia County with private family-centered rooms.

Our NICU is so very different. With our private rooms, babies don't have to be separated from their parents, said Darlinda Copeland, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center senior vice president and chief operating officer. In other NICUs, parents can only spend a limited amount of time with their child. But in our NICU, parents can spend 24 hours a day with their child in a private room, complete with a refrigerator, as well as sleeping and showering accommodations, so that they never need to leave their child.

Providing a private room for each baby and their family is better for the babies and it is better for the families, Becky Vernon, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center director of women and children's services. A private room has been shown to reduces the risk of infections, as well as provide a better bonding experience for babies and families, simply by having their own room, where they can spend more one-on-one time in a quieter, private space. All of this combined helps create a more healing environment, allowing families to go home sooner than they would in other, older NICUs.

In addition, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Centers NICU is affiliated with the Level III NICU at Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando. A Level III NICU offers the highest level of neonatal care available for premature and sick babies. Through this unique relationship, Florida Hospital for Children's team of specialized neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, and neonatal nurses have trained with the clinical team at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, preparing the Daytona Beach hospitals clinical team to provide the highest quality care possible to infants in need.

Nearly two years ago, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center received the designation from the state to build a Level II NICU and invested $10 million to expand the hospital's fourth floor by 16,300 square feet to connect the new NICU to the existing birthing center.

The NICUs research-based design equips the 16 private rooms with incubators, ventilators and other specialized technology to care for newborns 32 weeks and older.

About Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center

Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses and nearly 8,200 licensed beds in 10 states. Our locations include Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach and Florida Hospital Oceanside in Ormond Beach, as well as outpatient facilities in Port Orange, Daytona Beach Shores and New Smyrna Beach. With 293-beds, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center is one of the six Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties that composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region has 923 beds and more than 6,000 employees. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region collectively contributed nearly $120 million in benefits in 2015 to the underprivileged, the community's overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements. For more information about Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, visit www.floridahospitalmemorial.org.