In today’s world, most babies are born without difficulties. However, more than 12 percent of babies born each year in the United States are premature with as many as 70 percent of these infants requiring admission into a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach and its NICU care for more than 1,000 premature or critically ill babies each year with some of the best outcomes in the country. As one of only 22 neonatal intensive care units in the state with a Level III designation—the highest available—Miller Children’s has the largest and most advanced NICU in Southern California. The need for this type of specialty care continues to grow in the region, which is why Miller Children’s expanded its existing 69-bed NICU to include 48 additional beds in the hospital’s recently opened inpatient pavilion. The new NICU unit features state-of the-art equipment, individual bays, and a calm, dimly lit atmosphere to reduce stressful external stimuli for the fragile newborn.
Miller Children’s was a dream of Harry Orme, M.D., who recognized the need for children’s care in the Long Beach area. Opened in 1970, the not-for-profit pediatric hospital now treats more than 8,000 children a year, and delivers more than 6,000 babies a year. Its success lies in family-centered care, the support of a committed and appreciative community, careful management, measured growth, and the connection to an adult hospital. It is only one of two children’s hospitals in the state attached to an adult hospital, which allows it to realize cost savings while providing continuity of care throughout a patient’s lifetime. In 2009, the Norris Foundation supported Miller Children’s NICU expansion with the purchase of a Giraffe Omnibed and Incubator, which helps to support growth and stability of tiny, fragile babies.