Skip to Main Content
Close  X
Salem Hospital campus map

NSMC News Releases

Fundraising Underway for Expansion of the Special Care Nursery and Inpatient Pediatric Unit
6/1/2012

As part of North Shore Medical Center’s ongoing investment in the enhancement of our inpatient experience, plans call for the expansion and renovation of the Special Care Nursery and updates to the inpatient  pediatric unit at the MassGeneral for Children at North Shore Medical Center.

Special Care Nursery

The Special Care Nursery is the centerpiece of NSMC’s neonatology program. The planned first step is to double the size of the unit to accommodate 12 high-risk infants and creating a more spacious, private and peaceful environment for babies and their families.

“Our current facilities allow only 15 to 18 inches between babies,” notes Sanjay Aurora, M.D., Chief of Newborn Medicine. “Despite the high satisfaction scores we receive from families, one thing we hear over and over is that they wish we had more space. Our new facility will respond to these needs, including space to allow some mothers to sleep at their baby’s bedside.

In addition to larger, private patient areas, the renovated nursery will include a waiting room for families and additional space that may be used for physician-family consultation, formula- and breastfeeding or patient education. Enhanced lighting and sound control will add to a more calming environment. A centralized bedside monitoring system and a pneumatic tube station will facilitate faster and more accurate delivery of care.

These changes come at an important time for NSMC’s neonatology program, which was raised to Level IIB status in 2011, allowing for the care of high-risk babies born as early as 32 weeks. “The planned renovations will improve our ability to provide the high-intensity care our patients require and smooth their transition to home,” says Dr. Aurora.

Inpatient Pediatric Unit

For older children who require hospitalization, improvements to NSMC’s inpatient Pediatric Unit will help to make their stays more comfortable. The current unit, comprised of outdated rooms originally designed to accommodate four patients each, offers limited space and no private bathrooms.

The updated unit will include 10 private rooms, most with their own bathroom. All rooms will offer space for a parent to spend the night and will feature modern amenities such as flat-screen TVs. A new heating and cooling system will improve overall comfort for patients and families.

“As caregivers, part of our job is to ease the stress and anxiety that come with having a sick child,” says Dr. Edward N. Bailey, Chair of Pediatrics. “These improvements will allow us to better serve our patients and their families by supporting the high-quality, personalized care for which NSMC is known.”

To learn more about NSMC’s fundraising campaign to improve the Special Care Nursery and inpatient pediatric unit, please contact Sara Andrews at sandrews1@partners.org or 978-825-6250.

###

NSMC (North Shore Medical Center) is a multi-site health system headquartered in Salem, Mass., which includes NSMC Salem Hospital, NSMC Union Hospital in Lynn, MassGeneral for Children at North Shore Medical Center, NSMC Heart Center, NSMC Women’s Center and the physician network known as North Shore Physicians Group. NSMC and Massachusetts General Hospital together provide care at the Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care and the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center in Danvers. NSMC is a member of Partners HealthCare, which was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  #northshoremed