ATLANTA — Doctors at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta said the highest levels of care happens inside their hospital and now they have the recognition to prove it.
Children’s Egleston Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was verified as a Level of Care IV Neonatal Center by the Georgia Department of Public Health and American Academy of Pediatrics.
It is the only Level IV NICU in the state, meaning Children's healthcare workers can care for babies born with any medical or surgical needs, at all gestational ages.
"Newborn care ranges from a Level I, which would be a healthy term baby that typically would remain with their mother following birth and go home just after a day or two," explained Dr. Brenda Poindexter, the Chief of Neonatology for Children’s. "Level II newborn care would typically be provided in a community hospital. It might be a baby who needs some IV fluids or maybe a little bit of breathing support but not a ventilator.
Poindexter explained the special care that's needed for Level III and Level IV.
"A Level III NICU typically would take care of premature babies that do need a ventilator support and then a Level IV NICU implies that you have the ability really to provide any type of respiratory support and also to take care of babies with surgical issues or who need dialysis or who need ECMO," Poindexter said.
While the recognition for the NICU is new, Poindexter said the care is the same.
"Probably for as long as anyone can remember, this has been the unit where the most complicated and really most critically ill neonates in the state are coming," she said, explaining the new designation comes after the AAP set new standards.
She added she hopes the verification process will lead to better care for newborns statewide.
"I think that it will elevate the care for newborns throughout our state, as many community hospitals also go through this process to make sure they have the things in place to deliver Level II or a Level III care," Poindexter said.
Ezekiel is one of the babies who needed extra care.
"He's got some strength to him already," Ezekiel's dad, Jerod Beck said as he called his son a fighter.
Beck said his son's first week of life was "extremely intense," noting he was born about a month early in Cumming and was immediately transported to the Egleston NICU.
"When he was born, he was in a lot rougher shape than we anticipated," Beck said.
He and his wife rotate driving 40 miles every day to be with their baby boy.
"We're definitely out of our element down here. But at the same time, thankful to be here," said Beck.
He said they always took living in a state with a NICU like the one Children's has at Egleston for granted.
"We knew that he was going to be able to come to the right place. And he's had a lot of care here. His story has had surgeries, it's had intense respiratory care, a lot of medication, a lot of creative thinking and humility from the staff to try to figure him out," said Beck.
Beck said Ezekiel still has a long way to go, but they're holding onto hope he'll continue to fight.