New NICU space opens at UI Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital for Iowa's tiniest patients
Expanded neonatal unit meets growing need for specialized, critical newborn care
University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital is now welcoming patients and their families to a newly open neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A built-out space on Level 7 of the children’s hospital opened on March 3, 2026, which will allow the nationally ranked neonatology program to care for more premature and high-risk infants, meeting Iowa’s growing need for highly specialized newborn care.
Stead Family Children's Hospital has some of the highest survival rates in the country for extremely premature babies. It is home to Iowa's only nationally ranked level 4 NICU — the highest level recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics — which means it is equipped to care for the tiniest and most critically ill babies with the greatest range of neonatal services.
“Expanding our NICU represents a major milestone for families across Iowa and for our children’s hospital,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. “As access to maternal and newborn care remains limited in many communities, we are seeing more complex pregnancies and babies who need our advanced neonatal services. These new spaces ensure we can expand access while continuing to deliver the highest level of care for our most vulnerable patients.”
Designed for high-acuity neonatal care, training
The opening of Level 7 marks the halfway point for a two-part expansion within Stead Family Children’s Hospital that includes Level 8, which is slated for completion later this year. Built in 2017, the Stead Family Children’s Hospital’s seventh and eighth floors were originally constructed as shell spaces with plans to build them out in the future. Level 7 will host 32 NICU beds in addition to dedicated support spaces, family waiting areas, and provider work rooms that will increase capacity while enhancing the care environment for patients, families, and team members.
“We have a team of world-class neonatologists, and this expansion allows us to continue providing world-class care,” says Patrick McNamara, MB, BCh, division director of neonatology at Stead Family Children’s Hospital. “The completion of level 7 gives our teams the space and infrastructure they need to respond quickly, work efficiently, and deliver highly specialized care to the most premature and medically complex newborns in Iowa and the region.”
The Level 7 NICU is designed to support the complex, team-based care required for critically ill and extremely premature newborns. In addition to increasing bed capacity, the new environment improves workflows, proximity of specialty services, and communication among multidisciplinary care teams.
“This expansion creates an environment where families and care teams can truly thrive,” says Brady Thomas, MD, NICU medical director. “These spaces were intentionally designed to support the complex, highly specialized care for our most fragile newborns, while helping parents remain close, connected, and deeply involved in their baby’s healing. Our goal is not only to help babies survive, but to give them every opportunity to thrive — strengthening collaboration and advancing the specialized care that defines our program.”
Among the NICU’s specialized services is neonatal hemodynamics, an advanced imaging technique used to monitor the cardiovascular health of infants to deliver safer and more accurate care. Neonatal hemodynamics continues to advance the capabilities of NICUs around the world, and UI Health Care’s neonatal specialists remain on the forefront of implementing this advanced level of care while also educating and training others.
“To successfully care for such tiny, fragile babies, we need the most advanced technology, and these new spaces are designed to support the infrastructure needs of such essential equipment,” says neonatologist Danielle Rios, MD, MS director of the neonatal hemodynamics program. “Moving to this advanced hemodynamics space will enhance our ability to care for patients who require the most complex care."
Centralized support services improve safety, efficiency
The overall expansion also strengthens critical operational services, including infant nutrition preparation, by creating space for a centralized station for milk and formula mixing on Level 7.
“We’ve achieved our long-term goal of mixing all fortified breast milk at our university campus in the milk and formula mixing room on Level 7,” says Doug Robertson, director of UI Health Care’s Food and Nutrition Services. "This expansion standardizes our overall process for patients across the campus and will free up any additional staff who may have assisted with mixing formulas, allowing for health care personnel to focus more on direct patient care."
