Neonatal and Newborn Care

Neonatal and Newborn Medicine at WVU Healthcare provides medical care to newborn babies, especially sick or premature infants. At WVU Children’s Hospital, sick babies are cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Neonatal Step-down Unit.

Approximately 500-600 critically ill infants from a 150-mile radius of Morgantown are admitted to WVU Children’s Hospital yearly. One-half to two-thirds of these babies are born at WVU Hospital. The others are transported from surrounding hospitals in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Western Maryland.

High-risk infants and convalescent infants (premature babies) are hospitalized in a newly designed transitional nursery located adjacent to the Neonatal Step-down Unit.

Four board-certified neonatologists rotate coverage as attending physician. In addition to the attending physicians, a group of certified neonatal nurse practitioners are assigned to cover the neonatal intensive care unit and newborn service 24 hours a day.

The neonatal nurse practitioners participate in patient care, transport critically ill newborns to the neonatal intensive care unit, and participate in the education of the residents. The neonatal intensive care unit and neonatal step-down unit are also staffed by dedicated, specially trained registered nurses, respiratory therapists, and clinical pharmacists.