← News Home

Community Hospital South special care nursery upgraded to provide Level IIB care; Advanced respiratory equipment, specialized staff can manage health of babies born as early as 32 weeks

For release on September 29, 2011

Indianapolis, IN---Community Hospital South has upgraded the special care nursery that serves its youngest patients, including the addition of advanced respiratory technology and specialized staff. The new Level IIB designation means that most infants born as early as 32 weeks, or otherwise requiring advanced medical care, will not require a transfer to another facility.

“Our upgraded nursery allows us to coordinate care for mom and baby while keeping them as close to each other as possible,” said Sheryl King, M.D., director of inpatient pediatrics at Community Hospital South. “It has been wonderful to see how happy families are with the new level of care we are able to provide.”

The upgrade from Level IIA to Level IIB designation addresses the more acute respiratory needs of babies who are born pre-term. The special care nursery at Community Hospital South is now equipped to administer continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), Vapotherm (heated and humidified nasal cannula), surfactant replacement therapy (delivery of surfactant through a breathing tube to the lungs) and mechanical ventilation for brief durations. The hospital is also staffed by a respiratory therapy team specialized in neonatal care 24 hours a day.

For expectant parents, Community Hospital South’s Level 2B nursery doesn’t just offer advanced care, it enhances the patient experience:

  • Mom and baby recover after delivery on the same unit.
  • Being able to keep mom and baby in their hospital of choice also keeps them close to home, which provides convenience for dads and other visitors traveling to and from the facility.
  • Knowing that Community Hospital South can care for their pre-term baby, moms do not need to consider delivering at another hospital with an unfamiliar OB/GYN physician.

“Now more than ever, Community South is a name parents can associate with advanced neonatal care,” added King.

About Community Hospital South
Community Hospital South is an acute care hospital located at 1402 East County Line Road. With a vast array of surgical capabilities, maternity care, emergency room services and cardiovascular care, Community Hospital South provides an exceptional patient and family experience for the residents of southern Marion and Johnson Counties. Ranked among the nation’s most integrated healthcare systems, Community Health Network is Central Indiana’s leader in access to innovative and compassionate healthcare services, where and when patients need them—in hospitals, in convenient health pavilions and doctor’s offices, in the workplace, at schools, in the home and online. As a non-profit health system with multiple sites of care and affiliates throughout Indiana, Community’s full continuum of care integrates hundreds of physicians, acute care and specialty hospitals, surgery centers, physician offices, home care services, walk-in care centers and employer health services. To put the needs and the convenience of patients first, Community pioneers advanced treatments and world-class health information technologies, with a focus on ease of access to exceptional care.

--30--

Courtney Jones, Media Relations
Courtney Jones
Media Relations