This year (on May 13, actually) the American Family Children’s Hospital (AFCH) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) marks its 10th year of operation. A world-class Level IV NICU, it is one of only two such units in the state for neonates admitted from birth and beyond. A Level IV NICU offers the highest level of care available, equipped to diagnose and treat nearly every condition of critically ill newborns on site.
Founding medical director of the AFCH NICU, Jamie Limjoco, MD, MS, MMM, associate professor and interim chief of the Division of Neonatology and Newborn Nursery, has been with the unit from its first days. “We initially opened in 2014 as a Level IV NICU with 14 beds,” Limjoco recounted. “A few years later, we expanded into the entire floor with 24 rooms and 26 beds: room for 24 babies and their families, and two rooms for twins.”
Limjoco explained that the main difference between a Level III and Level IV NICU is the unit’s ability to treat surgically complicated babies. “Up to 70% of our babies require surgical intervention, whether it’s neurosurgery, abdominal surgery, surgery related to airway concerns, or cardiac surgery. The sub-specialists are readily available,” Limjoco said. “The difference is the type of care we’re able to provide. A Level IV NICU provides the highest level of care based on the American Academy of Pediatrics designation.”
The AFCH NICU also has an association with the new UW Health Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Center, which can treat complex fetuses in utero. After birth, those neonates often need immediate care. The NICU has seen an increase in patients since the center began operation in March 2022.
In the 10 years since its beginning, the NICU has grown tremendously, from a census of two babies to an average daily census of 17 babies. “The caliber of the quality of care that we provide is really top notch,” Limjoco reported. “And we have grown in faculty size, nurse staffing, advanced practice providers, and NICU fellows. We have grown to be quite large.”
This steady growth and improvement has resulted, at the 10-year mark, in an exceptional 26-bed Level IV NICU that can address any neonate’s condition. No family will have to consider that they may have to go to another city or another state to find the care their new baby needs.
Dr. Jamie Limjoco, associate professor and interim chief of the Division of Neonatology and Newborn Nursery, is the founding medical director of the AFCH NICU. Photo by UW Health
