Highlands ARH Regional Medical Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Level 2 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on June 10. 

Dr. Marjorie Haas, one of the neonatologists for the unit, says, “The development of a NICU at the Highlands ARH hospital will provide multiple benefits to expectant families in the community.  More Mothers will be able to deliver their babies locally with the assurance that an elevated level of care can be provided to their infants who may require it.  Unanticipated issues of newborn care may also be able to be cared for in the community.  In addition, infants who have been born in another hospital may be able to be transferred back to the Highlands ARH NICU to “feed and grow” closer to home.”

Level 2 NICU can provide care for moderately sick infants who are expected to improve quickly. These babies are typically born between 32 and 35 weeks gestation and weigh at least 3.3 pounds.

Jeremy Hall, ARH Regional CEO for the system’s Big Sandy and West Virginia regions, says, “We know that having the care you need closer to home is what all of us want for our families and communities. Any time ARH can expand the type of care we provide for our patients is a win.” Hall continued, “In this instance, expanding services ultimately benefits all patients. In order to offer this higher level of care to our patients, ARH dedicated significant resources toward new equipment, updating the space, and providing advanced training to staff throughout the hospital to provide an excellent service to these very special patients.”

Speaking about the ability to now offer this kind of care, Michelle Hall, Director of Obstetrical Services at Highlands, says, “We have been fortunate to get all the new equipment and beds for our NICU, which will make caring for these babies much easier. We are very excited to offer this service to our community and to keep these families at home.  A lot of hard work and dedication has gone into making this dream a reality.  Our providers and my staff are eager to begin providing this much-needed care for our littlest patients while making our moms and dads as comfortable as possible.”

In addition to the opening of the NICU, Highlands ARH Regional Medical Center has an updated infant security system and newly renovated patient rooms. These private rooms for our mothers and their babies help promote a family-friendly environment. The OB Unit includes two renovated OR suites on the floor and our labor and delivery. Several experienced OB providers and pediatricians in the area have Highlands Regional Medical Center privileges to admit and see patients. 

ARH System Line Service Director Rita Crum sees so many people who will be better served with the creation of this unit. “We will now be able to deliver moms before their 37th week. We were able to do this before the unit, but we knew that the baby could potentially need a more elevated level of care, and that would require being sent to another facility without the mom. We always want mothers and their babies to be together whenever possible and this unit will allow more moms to deliver here, close to home.” Crum says another new addition is a dedicated lactation room. “This room will serve our new moms who have delivered babies here at Highlands and can serve any staff member who needs to utilize the room,” Crum says. The NICU is designed to be family-friendly and secure.    

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Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), is a not-for-profit health system operating 14 hospitals in Barbourville, Hazard, Harlan, Hyden, Martin, McDowell, Middlesboro, Paintsville, Prestonsburg, West Liberty, Whitesburg, and South Williamson in Kentucky and Beckley and Hinton in West Virginia, as well as multi-specialty physician practices, home health agencies, home medical equipment stores and retail pharmacies and medical spas. ARH employs approximately 6,700 people with an annual payroll and benefits of $474 million generated into our local economies. ARH also has a network of more than 1,300 providers on staff across its multi-state system. ARH is the largest provider of care and the single largest employer in southeastern Kentucky, and the third-largest private employer in southern West Virginia.