The birth of a child is a beautiful process, but one that can potentially present challenges for both the mother and the medical staff caring for her and her baby. Babies born prematurely can experience a difficult birth or have health problems at birth requiring specialized care. These situations often require the baby to be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU.)
The Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) NICU is a Level II Advanced facility that provides around-the-clock care for newborns who require intensive nursing and medical care. Having this specialized service at PMC allows many families to stay close to home and close to the newborns who need medical care.
Having a baby who is admitted to the NICU can be a stressful situation for parents, who often do not have much warning that their baby will require specialized care. PMC understands that and offers a compassionate team of medical providers dedicated to providing advanced care for newborns.
The NICU staff is led by PMC NICU Medical Director and Neonatologist Todd Hambleton, MD and PMC Neonatologist Myla Santiago, MD. Dr. Hambleton and Dr. Santiago are both highly skilled and dedicated to providing quality care for their patients and their families. Dr. Hambleton is Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in Pediatrics and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. Dr. Santiago is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In 2020, PMC’s NICU doubled in size, increasing the number of beds from 8 to 16. In addition to treating more babies, the increase of beds has advanced PMC’s level of care from a Level II to a Level II Advanced Care NICU. PMC physicians and staff can now care for babies born earlier in the mother’s pregnancy. Previously, babies born sooner than 32 weeks had to be transferred to a higher-level facility. However, the PMC NICU now has the ability to keep and take care of babies born as early as 28 weeks.
To learn more about the PMC Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, please visit the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit page.
