Ridgeview and Children’s Minnesota expand neonatal services to offer intensive care to premature babies in Waconia
Children’s Minnesota announced the expansion of its neonatal service offerings at Ridgeview’s hospital campus in Waconia, which will now offer families an enhanced Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), caring for babies as young as 30 weeks gestational age.
Developed and operated in collaboration with Children's Minnesota, Ridgeview’s NICU has cared for nearly two thousand babies since the partnership began more than 10 years ago.
“We’re excited to be expanding our valued partnership with Ridgeview by providing even more highly specialized care to premature babies in Waconia and the surrounding region,” said Dr. Mark Bergeron, MD, MPH, Children’s Minnesota medical director of Ridgeview NICU. “Our goal is always to keep babies in their community because we know outcomes are best when parents are highly involved in their child’s care.”
As part of this expansion, Children’s Minnesota and maternal-fetal medicine physicians from Minnesota Perinatal Physicians worked with clinicians at Ridgeview to enhance processes and procedures to care for high-risk mothers and babies, and collaborated to provide extensive training to ensure that all staff members have the skills needed to care for complex cases.
“Partnering with Children’s Minnesota to have a NICU at Ridgeview brings a higher level of care to the community and consequently peace-of-mind to expectant parents,” said Elaine Arion, DNP, MSN, RN, vice president, patient care services and chief nursing officer at Ridgeview. “Most newborns won’t need extra care, but if they do, the services and expertise of our specially-trained team are here.”
The NICU at Ridgeview offers:
- Neonatologists, nurses, nurse practitioners and respiratory therapists who specialize in premature babies and critically ill newborns available 24/7.
- Access to consultation with all pediatric subspecialists at Children’s Minnesota.
- Non-invasive advanced breathing support (CPAP).
In addition to the enhanced Level III NICU at Ridgeview, Children’s Minnesota also offers high level neonatal expertise at its locations in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids.
About Children’s Minnesota
Children’s Minnesota is the seventh largest pediatric health system in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children’s Minnesota serves kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, nine primary care clinics, multiple specialty clinics and seven rehabilitation sites. As The Kids ExpertsTM, Children’s Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children’s hospital.
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