EDMONTON -- Single family rooms and new designated spaces will provide families with the ability to support their babies in critical neonatal care more closely.

Stollery Children’s Hospital Medical Director Dr. Chloe Joynt said that prior to the renovation the NICU had an open-bay design instead of the new single family rooms which allow for more space and privacy.

The renovations also added two rooms designed for highly technical procedures as well as designated medical staff, patient, and family spaces.

“What this allows the care team to do is to work in a space that is designed to promote patient safety and improve infection control,” explained Dr. Chloe Joynt.

The unit cares for about 450 to 500 babies yearly, said Kristy Cunningham, Stollery’s Executive Director of critical care and respiratory.

“These are newborns who require specialized surgical care. We also know the families need to be cared for too and this beautiful new space helps us to do that.”

Karen Calhoun’s son spent most of his first year as a newborn in intensive care at the Stollery due to many medical complications. Calhoun, alongside other Stollery families, played a large part in planning the newly renovated NICU, including the new lounge that offers a space for family self-care.

“Being able to stay 24/7 next to your child comfortably and get some sleep is just an amazing healthcare design, as well as having our own family space to retreat to will really kind of support that holistic picture that families really need.”

The completion of the NICU marks the end of the Stollery’s seven-and-a-half year long project to expand critical care pediatric units in order to better help some of the most vulnerable Albertans and their families.