Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Southern California
The NICU at Riverside Community Hospital is where our neonatologists and neonatal nurses provide care for premature newborns or infants who require a higher level of care than is available in a traditional newborn nursery. Our NICU staff is committed not only to providing top-quality care for newborns but also to working closely with parents to keep them involved in their child's care.
Bringing a child into the world is a joyous event, but sometimes unforeseen situations occur. Because we have an on-site Level III NICU, all babies born in our hospital have access to neonatal intensive care, if needed. During a stay in the NICU, newborns are monitored 24/7 by neonatologists trained in caring for sick and premature infants.
Do you have questions about our neonatal intensive care? You can call our Consult-A-Nurse® team at (951) 788-3463 to talk with a team member about our services.
Conditions treated in our NICU
We know our patients and families in the NICU need both expert care and an environment to create those tender moments with newborns. Our expanded, state-of-the-art 35-bed NICU was designed with families in mind and we are able to treat a wide range of newborn needs, including:
- Complications during delivery
- Illness
- Low birth weight
- Respiratory problems
If your child was born at a different hospital but requires neonatal intensive care, we have a neonatal transport team available to safely transfer them to our facility.
NICU features and services
Sometimes when a child is born, they require specialized care in the NICU. At our hospital, neonates receive around-the-clock care from our knowledgeable team. Babies in our NICU and their families receive comprehensive care, which includes:
- 24-hour coverage by board-certified neonatologists
- 24-hour coverage by a respiratory therapist certified in neonatal care
- Dedicated case managers for NICU families
- Highly-secured area for families
- Isolettes and warming beds
- Perinatal nurse navigator
Our neonatal care team
The multidisciplinary team in our NICU is led by board-certified neonatologists who are on-site 24/7. Newborns may also receive care from other specialty trained doctors, registered nurses, respiratory therapists and additional healthcare professionals offering support services.
Our team recognizes a parent's need to be involved in their newborn's care. Parents are given 24-hour access to the NICU, so they can feel connected with their child during the early days of life and participate in their care plan.
NICU patients and families may benefit from:
- Consultations and treatment from occupational therapists
- Dietician specializing in neonatal nutrition
- Infant CPR education
- Long-term nutritional support
- Prenatal education services provided by our women's services department
- Visits from our lactation consultants (donor breast milk available)
Riverside Community Hospital is proud to partner with Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), and its medical specialty physician group CHOC Specialists. CHOC neonatologists provide in-house neonatology services at Riverside Community Hospital's NICU along with our medical staff, nurses and staff.
Perinatal nurse navigator
Our perinatal nurse navigator provides support and education to mothers with high-risk diagnoses in pregnancy. This support begins in pregnancy and continues through the delivery visit and duration of any potential NICU stay for the family.
Our perinatal nurse navigator is here to:
- Build a relationship with high-risk mothers and any mother in need of extra support during pregnancy
- Help expectant mothers understand their physician driven plan of care when questions arise
- Coordinate care among the team of specialists involved in the high-risk pregnancy and NICU infant’s care
- Be a consistent point of contact for families and physicians. Our navigator is available to help cope with all of the variations in care; whether that is a change from a routine delivery or an anticipated NICU stay for the baby. Our hope is to alleviate many of the concerns expectant moms with a high risk pregnancy experience.
For questions or more information, please call P (951) 788-3584 or C (951) 897-8768 or email Elvira Gonzalez.
Neonatal transport
The Neonatal Transport Team at Riverside Community Hospital is a dedicated 24/7 neonatal critical care transport team. The team consists of registered nurses and respiratory therapists with extensive training and backgrounds in neonatal intensive care. All members are educated in transport safety, as well as advanced practice skills and technology. Each team consists of a minimum of one nurse and one respiratory therapist.
We know how scary it can be when your baby is being transferred to another hospital. At Riverside Community Hospital, you can rest assured knowing your baby is in the safest hands and receives the best possible care from neonatologists, nurses and respiratory therapists dedicated to helping our tiniest patients.
NICU Expansion - NOW OPEN
When you need it most, you can trust us to deliver a safe and nurturing environment to welcome your baby. If your pregnancy is considered high-risk or you have complications, you can rest easier knowing the expert team at Riverside Community Hospital is here to support you with advanced maternity care. We have expanded and opened our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; 18,766 square feet designed to accommodate the new generation family needs.
Features include:
- 35 beds
- Newly designed waiting room
- Isolation rooms
- Parent sleep room
- OB sleep rooms
- Nursing rooms
- Family-focused environment for bonding, feeding and care
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