Approximately 450 newborns are cared for in the St. Mary's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) each year. Technology, plus 24/7 care from our specialized physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists means fragile newborns have a much greater chance for survival today than ever before. While most of littlest patients are delivered at St. Mary's, others arrive from all over south-central Wisconsin in our specially-equipped NICU ambulance.

During 2011, St. Mary's will embark on a major expansion of our NICU to provide additional space and state-of-the-art equipment for these tiny miracles and their families. Among the many enhancements will be the installation of Giraffe™ Omnibeds — high-tech incubators that create precise environmental conditions for sick newborns to continue to develop. Watch a video to see how these incubators benefit the baby.

Perhaps you know someone who was born prematurely and started their life in a NICU — maybe it's a family member, a friend's child or even you. No matter your reason, if you would like to help sick babies in south-central Wisconsin have the best possible chance for survival, we hope you'll consider making a gift to the St. Mary's Foundation and designating it for the NICU Expansion.