Page 106 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2016

HEALTHY LIVING prepared for the unexpected
BABYTALFK
Memorial Hospital at Gulfport NICU celebrates 20 years
story by Susan Ruddiman photos courtesy of
Memorial Hospital at Gulfport
TOP: Neonatologist David M. Kuhlmann, M.D. MIDDLE: Memorial Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurses provide around-the-clock medical attention for newborns. BOTTOM: The NICU at Memorial has cared for more than 5,500 newborns in the 20 years since its inception.
or the past 20 years, families having to deal with the critical needs of newborn babies have been able to do so without leaving the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Memorial Hospital at Gulfport opened a
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU, pronounced Nic-U) in 1996. Since then, more than 5,500 newborns have been patients.
“The emotional impact of premature birth on families is high. We have an excellent caring
staff with board certified neonatologists who are devoted to the babies and their families,” said Gary Marchand, Memorial president/CEO.
Prior to the Memorial NICU opening, babies would be admitted to the Keesler Medical Center NICU or have to be transported to Jackson, Miss., Louisiana or Alabama.
“You can imagine families having to drive an hour to three hours to see their baby –— it was a hardship,” said David M. Kuhlmann, M.D., a neonatologist. He practices at the
Memorial NICU for Southern Mississippi Neonatology.
The reasons a baby may be admitted to the NICU vary. There are maternal risk
factors when the mother is younger than 16 or older than 40, has diabetes or is expecting multiple babies. There could be delivery factors such as fetal distress as well as baby factors such as gestational age less than 37 weeks or more than 42 weeks, birth defects, low birth weight, low blood sugar and breathing problems.
In Mississippi, almost 6,400 babies are born prematurely and 1,200 are born with birth defects, according to the March of Dimes.
While some babies are born at Memorial at Gulfport, 40 percent are transported to Memorial from other hospitals in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties. A neonatal transport team travels to the outlying hospitals to stabilize and transport the infants to Memorial NICU.
“Memorial NICU has highly skilled physicians, nurses and neonatal nurse practitioners, physical therapists, respiratory care staff, advanced respiratory support and physiologic monitoring equipment, laboratory and imaging facilities, nutrition and pharmacy support with pediatric expertise, social services and pastoral care,” said Amy Haulsee, R.N., director, Memorial Women & Children’s Services.
106 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • April 2016
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Last summer, Memorial unveiled the new $6 million NICU with 11 semi-private rooms for a total of 23 beds.
“We’re glad we are here and glad to be taking care of these babies. It’s a benefit to the families on the Coast,” Kuhlmann said.
www.gulfportmemorial.com