The NICU at Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida
Providing the Highest Level of Care to the Babies Who Need it Most
Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida in Orlando is a Level IV NICU. That means it’s recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics and certified by the State of Florida to provide the highest level of care for the most critically ill and tiniest premature babies. Because we’re one of the top providers of neonatal care in the region, babies come here from other hospitals for treatment.
The NICU is on the third floor of Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida, a state-of-the-art children's hospital that opened in 2012. The unit is equipped with the latest technology and staffed by a team of experts in neonatal care.
The team works with specialists such as pediatric general surgery, pediatric cardiology and maternal-fetal medicine to treat a wide range of clinical conditions, including rare diseases. They use life-saving treatments such as whole-body hypothermia, high-frequency ventilation, inhaled nitric oxide, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, working with the cardiac intensive care unit.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Virtual Tour of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida.
- About Our NICU
- Transport
- Care Team
- Affiliated Hospitals
- A “Safe Sleep” Hospital
Comfort and Support for You and Your Baby
Our NICU offers 18 beds, each in a single-family room. The rooms are designed to be comfortable and convenient for families, with showers, sofa beds, TVs and wireless internet in each room. The rooms can help make it easier for you to bond with your baby, and they encourage healing with features like natural light, warm decor and original artwork.
To help keep track of your baby’s health status, we use a sophisticated monitoring system with a webcam and sound that’s connected to a nurse's station. The nurses can watch your little one’s vital signs and any alarms that may occur round-the-clock, to limit having to make multiple visits to your room. We want you and your baby to get all the healing rest that you need.
One visit you will see is morning rounds. They are designed to be family-centered and include you in the process. They include contributions from physicians, nurses, a pharmacist dedicated to the NICU, a dietician, a social worker and a respiratory therapist.
Other available support services include physical, occupational and speech therapy, and lactation support that features a meal program for breastfeeding moms.
We also offer:
- Activities for siblings, hosted by our Child Life specialists
- A NICU Palliative Care Program to provide comfort and help improve quality of life for babies facing complex and life-limiting conditions
- Quiet zones to relax and relieve stress, including green lawns and beautiful trees on our large campus
- Free on-site parking
A Welcoming Place for Longer Hospital Stays
The Ronald McDonald House at Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida provides a safe and affordable home away from home for families.
Pediatric Critical Care Transport Is Available 24/7
Our Critical Care Transport Team is available any time, day or night to help infants reach our NICU from other health care settings in Central Florida and beyond. This team uses state-of-the-art equipment and techniques to ensure the safe and stable transport of critically ill babies, including those receiving inhaled nitric oxide, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) and prostaglandin infusions.
Transport services are available via helicopters, fixed-wing jets and multiple ground ambulances, providing the flexibility needed to transport infants quickly and safely. The team works to the highest standards of care and perform regular simulation-based and hands-on skills training to enhance the quality of the services they provide. The team works together with referring hospitals to ensure that babies receive the right care and support.
This commitment to excellence is one of the many reasons why the Nemours Children's Hospital NICU is considered a leading provider of neonatal care in the region.
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Kelly Bradley, RN
Nurse Manager NICU -
Ujuanda Buford, ARNP
Neonatology -
Caroline O. Chua, MD
Neonatology -
Shelley Roxanne Drummond, MD
Neonatology -
Jessica Foster
Division Coordinator (EA) -
Russell Foster, ARNP
Neonatology -
Christine Maybelle Girard, ARNP
Neonatology -
Tiffany Suzanne Gwartney, APN
Neonatology -
Jane Ann Ierardi, MD
Neonatology -
Johanna Ivich, APN
Neonatology -
Jeanette Lynn Mirande, APRN
Neonatology -
Apurwa Naik, MD
Neonatology -
Himadri Nath, MD
Neonatology -
Julio Patino, APRN
Neonatology -
Cristy Love Ramsey, APRN
Neonatology -
Laurie Reyna
NICU Clinical Supervisor -
Katy Richardson
Clinical Nurse Educator -
Estephania Rivasplata Vignolo, PA
Neonatology -
Yahdira Marie Rodriguez Prado, MD
Neonatology -
Dinorah Rodriguez-Warren, APN
Neonatology -
Darline Ruiz, ARNP
Neonatology -
Anna Sedney, MD
Neonatology -
Rochelle Sequeira Gomes, MD
Neonatology -
Neetu Singh, MD
Neonatology -
Jennifer Staggs, APRN
Neonatology -
Rebecca Tillery, PA-C
Neonatology -
Grace Twitty, MD
Neonatology -
Julianne Murray VanLaningham, APN
Neonatology -
Melissa Vega, PA
Neonatology -
Sreekanth K. Viswanathan, MD
Neonatology -
Hannah Watcke, PA-C
Neonatology -
Nikol A. Wells, MD
Neonatology -
Heather L Wheeler, APRN
Neonatology
Firm Relationships With Other Hospitals and Our Community
Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida is committed to providing exceptional care to infants and families in the Central Florida region, including those in high-risk situations. As part of our dedication to serving the community, we have established relationships with leading hospitals in the area. These hospitals include Lakeland Regional Health, HCA Florida Osceola Hospital, HCA Florida UCF Lake Nona Hospital, HCA Florida Oviedo Medical Center, Tradition Medical Center and Cleveland Clinic Martin Health.
We work with the Level I, II and III NICUs at other hospitals to ensure families have access to specialized neonatal care in their own communities. And we’re here when needed for babies born requiring more advanced medical care.
We also offer families in our community two other important medical services: a maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) program and a fetal care program. Our MFM team provides specialized care for women with high-risk pregnancies, including those with pre-existing medical conditions or complications that may arise during pregnancy. Our fetal care program includes a team of specialists who work with families to develop individualized care plans for infants with complex medical conditions before and after birth.
Growing Hospital Network
To best serve infants and families in Central Florida, we have established relationships with leading hospitals in the area, who may refer infants to our hospital for more intense or specialized care.
Best Practices to Keep Babies Safe While Asleep
At Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida we purposefully use equipment and techniques to reduce the risk of injuries and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) during sleep.