Wellstar opens new NICU, transfers 44 babies to new unit

A new neonatal intensive care unit has welcomed 44 babies through a carefully coordinated move.

Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center recently opened a 49-bed NICU as part of its nine-story, 300,000-square-foot Yellow Tower, a $400 million investment. 

More than 100 doctors, nurses and caregivers helped transfer the 44 infants to their new, temporary home.

The new unit was built with families in mind with private patient spaces, advanced monitoring technology and six couplet care rooms that allow mothers and babies receiving care to remain together.

The NICU also includes a milk lab, which prepares fortified human milk, donor milk and prescribed formulas so that babies receive precise nutrition.

“It’s a lot more open, has a lot more technology, a lot more space for them to care for their baby,” said Dr. Shay Evans, a neonatologist who helped lead the transition.

A team of medical professionals moved the babies to the new unit while another team waited for their arrival to reconnect oxygen, monitors and other medical equipment before moving on to the next room.