Christus St. Elizabeth receives Level III NICU designation
Published 11:18 am Thursday, February 22, 2018
- Christus St. Elizabeth is the first in the region to receive Level III NICU designation from the State of Texas. (Courtesy photo)
Staff Report
Christus Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth has recently received Level III designation for its neonatal intensive care unit from the state of Texas.
This signifies that the hospital’s NICU meets strict quality and safety guidelines as set by the Department of State Health Services. These include 24-hour in-house neonatology coverage, the region’s only NICU Transport Team and the ability to take care of any gestational age of infant.
The designation lasts for three years.
“We are very proud to be the only Level III NICU in the region, and currently one of only a handful throughout the state to achieve this strict criteria,” Lauree Thompson, MD Neonatal Medical Director, said in a written statement.
In the past, neonatal intensive care units in the state were self-designated, meaning that any facility could take care of any gestational age of infant.
“Texas has now passed a law that states what kind of babies you can take of due to what kinds of services and procedures you have in place,” Thompson said.
Currently, there are only 10 Level III designated NICUs in the state.
“This designation acknowledges that Christus St. Elizabeth has all of the available resources and is committed to providing highly specialized care for newborns and their families,” Paul Trevino, Christus Southeast Texas Health System president, said in a written statement.
Christus’ NICU team has been preparing for the designation for four years. Their NICU team consists of a wide range of specialized clinicians, nurses and physicians including neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and speech-language pathologists.
“We’re very proud of our NICU team, who have been working hard to make sure our NICU meets the highest standards in the state of Texas,” Trevino said in his statement.