CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has been officially accredited as a Level III NICU by the Texas Department of State Health Services. This three-year designation acts as official recognition of the facility's commitment to meeting the requirements of national and state standards for Level III neonatal ICUs.
In 2015 the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 3433 which required hospitals with delivery services or children's hospitals with a NICU to meet certain regulations and to apply for State designation as Level I, II, III or IV nursery/ICU. The State regulations were designed to mirror national guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The designation process includes filling out a lengthy application, meeting the regulations for a specific level, and an on-site visit by a State approved survey team.
The hospital’s NICU has received a full, three-year designation recognizing the facility adheres to the highest standards and rigorous best practices of a state-of-the-art Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
A Level III designation recognizes that CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System meets quality and safety guidelines from the Department of State Health Services. To do this, CHRISTUS St. Michael provides 24-hour in-house neonatal nurse practitioner or neonatologist coverage, maintains the equipment and resources necessary to care for infants born at all gestations, is capable of prolonged ventilator use, and has a specialized NICU Transport Team, linking them to other hospitals around the region.