Mountain View Hospital expands NICU

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Mountain View Hospital is proud to care for babies born as young as 28 weeks in its new, expanded neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

The hospital opened its NICU in October, after more than a year of construction.

Mountain View’s NICU will be able to care for up to 14 babies at a time and offers access to the most advanced technology and treatment in the region.

“We have always said all babies are welcome at Mountain View Hospital. Unfortunately, in the past, there were times when babies needed more advanced care than we could provide. Not anymore. With the opening of our expanded NICU, we have the team and treatment capabilities to allow us to live out our vision and make it possible to care for our community’s most vulnerable infants, as young as 28 weeks,” Mountain View Hospital’s Labor and Delivery Manager Treana Jones said.

As of Wednesday, there were three babies being treated in the NICU, including James and Clarissa Zovi's newborn son James Zovi III.

Dad James Zovi said the care they've received and the staff have been above and beyond.

"He had some issues with his lungs not being developed," James said. "The NICU took fantastic care of us. They checked him for an echogram on his heart, X-ray on his lungs. They went just above and beyond."

Previously, the hospital was able to care for infants 35 weeks and older.

“We know having a child in the NICU can be a stressful experience for families,” Mountain View Hospital’s NICU manager Regan Fregoso said. “Our team is here to help take some of that stress away. We believe one of the very best ways we can do that is by keeping parents closely involved in their child’s care. Not only does this help parent’s peace of mind but it has been shown to reduce stress for babies and improve their short- and long-term health outcomes.” 

The NICU was intentionally designed to keep families together. Babies who need to spend time in the NICU will have their own dedicated space, for more privacy. Each area was designed to make sure families have what they need, including breast pumps, milk warmers and comfortable spaces to relax and features a nature scene from the local area to ease stress.

“We have loved our experience in Mountain View’s NICU,” said Katie Davis, whose daughter was one of the first patients in the new NICU. “All the nurses have provided us with the very best care.  It is such a comfort being able to go and know that Ive is safe and being cared for by great nurses.”