This article deals with one of the most intensive inpatient care units in a hospital, the neonatal intensive care unit, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. This unit is staffed by about 80 people and has the ability to handle 28+ babies at one time. The NICU has had more than 32 patients at one point. The NICU deals with many problems newborns may have, such as premature birth, overweight and underweight babies, and various other conditions.Our book talks about the number of different wards in a hospital, as well as, the different kinds of hospitals available today. The NICU and the children's hospital are some of the busiest. The stay for a premature child can range from 1 week to 2+ months. This has a great impact on how the hospital does business. (Page 283) This has an impact on the staffing in the hospital as well as the NICU at any given time. On page 281 the book talks about rural hospital closures. The impact on pre-mature children could be devastating. If the parents have no access to these hospitals the children will suffer. The cost of this kind of care is also an issue with parents that have to keep their kids in a NICU. Some parents may not be able to afford a stay as long as could be needed or simply so not have the proper coverage to cover the stay. This article also explains one of the many specialties in a hospital. Pages 276-278 explain the expanding roles of hospitals and how the advancements in nursing improve the care one would receive at a NICU.I was amazed to find the number of patients that the RCRH has had in the past. Even before the expansion in 1996 they had up to 32 newborns in the unit. I was also interested in the fact that a NICU does not only see pre-mature births, but under and overweight babies as well....
