Stead Family Children’s Hospital NICU is one of only two in U.S. to receive new AAP designation
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reaffirms that the tiniest pediatric patients are in the best hands at University of Iowa Health Care.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UI Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital is one of the first to receive a new, national designation from the AAP recognizing those with the highest levels of neonatal care. The AAP's Neonatal Excellence Program serves as a third-party assessment of a hospital’s NICU, including its overall health outcomes, expertise, resources, and standards for neonatal care.
"Stead Family Children's Hospital has a long-standing global reputation in the care of extremely preterm infants and the emerging field of neonatal hemodynamics. We are honored to receive this neonatal designation, which reflects our team's dedication to providing the highest level of care for our smallest and most critically ill newborns,” says Patrick McNamara, MB, BCh, director of the Division of Neonatology at Stead Family Children’s Hospital. “This recognition reinforces our commitment to patient safety, quality improvement, and ensuring every newborn receives the best possible start in life, and we applaud the AAP for their advocacy role in setting the standards for neonatal care across the United States.”
Stead Family Children’s Hospital is Iowa’s only Level 4 NICU, the highest level recognized by the AAP, meaning it’s fully equipped to provide care for the tiniest and most critically ill babies. The children’s hospital also houses the only nationally ranked neonatology program in the state.
“Every child in every community deserves access to high-quality health care,” says NVP Medical Director Eric Eichenwald, MD, FAAP, chairperson of the AAP Committee on Fetus and Newborn says in a press release announcing the program. “By making this verification and designation process available to hospitals in every state, the American Academy of Pediatrics can support local communities to advance the level of newborn care they’re able to provide to families.
This program emphasizes patient safety, quality, and best practices. We want to see all babies thrive, and this program helps hospitals meet these goals to support families in their communities.”
One of the most unique aspects of UI Health Care’s program is that, unlike most NICUs in the country, there are specialty teams (neonatal hemodynamics, lung rehabilitation, and neurocritical care), which provide expert consultative support to the care of these high-risk patients. The NICU also has the highest survival rate for extremely preterm infants (as early as 22 weeks) in North America.
