Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit (RNICU)

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Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit (RNICU)

The Regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit (RNICU) at the UAB Women & Infants Center provides the best possible care for babies born too soon or who are ill. Together with Children’s of Alabama, UAB offers the only Level IV RNICU in Alabama – designated by the American Academy of Pediatrics as the highest and most comprehensive level of care available.

The center also is home to the Continuing Care Nursery (CCN), which provides extended step-down care for preterm and term babies with medical conditions. The 120-bed Level IV RNICU/CCN was built around the needs of newborns and their families, and it’s well-equipped to handle any situation that may arise.

UAB’s Pediatric Neonatology specialists oversee clinical operations in the RNICU and provide comprehensive care for babies using the most comprehensive and up-to-date techniques. Neonatology services closely align with UAB’s Maternal-Fetal Medicine services as necessary to provide a team approach to care when pregnancies are high-risk or become high-risk, in order to ensure the best possible outcomes. Should your baby require additional specialty care, you will find comfort in knowing that, as a university medical center, UAB’s Pediatric Department includes top pediatric cardiologists, surgeons, neurologists, nephrologists, and other pediatric specialists who are readily available to provide care.

RNICU and CCN rooms are single family rooms (except during periods of high occupancy), which provides the optimal environment for the important bonding that occurs in the first few days and weeks of life between family and baby. Sleep space for a family member allows for parents to be right there in the room with their baby.

Each baby is closely monitored by nurses who will care for them in their rooms, and they are also monitored. We have advanced wireless patient monitoring and patient telemetry equipment available. Since everything nurses need is at their fingertips, RNICU babies are constantly under nurse supervision, while still allowing for family privacy.

UAB provides the highest level of care in Alabama for high-risk pregnancies and seamless continuous care through delivery for premature and sick infants, thanks to our comprehensive team of experienced and well-equipped specialists. Unlike at other area hospitals, both Neonatology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists are immediately available in house 24/7/365, whenever moms-to-be or babies may need specialized care.

In addition to being a Level IV-designated RNICU, UAB is consistently ranked among the nation’s best hospitals for gynecology by U.S. News & World Report, and it has recognized Children’s of Alabama as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals for neonatal care. The UAB Women & Infants Center and Children’s of Alabama Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children are connected via sky bridges, allowing for seamless transition for newborns receiving advanced inpatient care at both locations. In addition, UAB has been named “Best Hospital NICU” in the Parents’ Choice Awards, as published by Birmingham and Alabama Baby & Child magazines.

UAB is a leader in research and clinical expertise and is proud of its excellent medical outcomes. Our involvement in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Neonatal Research Network, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network, and the Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research means that UAB’s RNICU patients have access to the latest and most advanced care available, sometimes years before such care is available elsewhere.

UAB’s survival rate and rate of survival without handicap for all premature babies are among the highest in the country year after year. Together with the extensive support services and amenities offered for patients and families, there truly is no finer place than UAB to bring a child into this world or to care for premature and sick newborns.

Learn more about the neonatal services and amenities UAB provides by downloading the documents in the right column.