Phoenix Children’s Building New 44,000-Square-Foot Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Construction of a new 44,000-square-foot neonatal intensive care unit has started at Phoenix Children’s Hospital — Thomas Campus. The new space, which will replace the existing NICU, is one of many expansion projects underway at the campus and will be built on the 11th floor of the patient tower. When it opens in 2024, it will continue to be Arizona’s only American Academy of Pediatrics-designated Level IV NICU, a designation indicating the highest level of medical care available for the most complex neonatal conditions, the sickest and the most premature newborns.

The new NICU will continue to provide around-the-clock care for babies who have complex conditions like birth injuries, chromosomal anomalies, congenital heart disease, drug exposures and infant infections. It will also continue to offer Arizona’s only neuro-NICU, which provides advanced care to babies with brain or neurological conditions, as well as the Newborn Early Screening Team Clinic, a program that ensures premature and at-risk babies receive the care and support they need from infancy through early childhood.

The new space will offer:

• 48 private rooms, each with a crib, window and private bathroom

• Sleeper couches for parents and caregivers

• Patient rooms equipped for emergency and advanced treatments, right at the bedside

• A floorplan that gives clinicians quick access to patients and enables easy transport to radiology, the operating room and other ancillary areas

• A multipurpose room for physical and occupational therapy

• A washer, dryer, refrigerator and sink for patient family use

• A family lounge and quiet areas for parents to work or relax

The architect for the project is HKS and the general contractor is Kitchell.