Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Renovation Project
Project Update (11/2010)
Hospital plans are to open NICU shortly after the first of year. At the completion of the new NICU, Forrest General Healthcare Foundation will be announcing a dedication ceremony for the rooftop terrace that was sponsored by the Foundation. As dates are known, they will be announced.
NICU Story
It is every parent’s worst nightmare.
And it happened to a couple named Mindy and Darrin Herrin.
One day, just over halfway into her pregnancy, Mindy went into labor and suddenly the Herrin’s world changed overnight. Tiny, frail Megan Herrin came into the world in June of 1998---over three months premature—and weighing only one pound, three ounces.
A baby held in the palm of a hand.
Strange machines, strange noises, monitors, wires, tubes, strangers, medicines…and a baby. Their baby. Within their reach, but nearly untouchable. Megan’s first battle simply involved breathing. Her undeveloped lungs required a breathing tube with surfactant. Probes and wires monitored her every breath, every moment of progress or failure.
Buried beneath a maze or wires and blankets, Megan fought.
And against this landscape, the Herrins found themselves reliant upon the knowledge of strangers. Slowly, these same strangers, the NICU staff, became their lifeline as well. Nurses explained the equipment. Doctors explained the treatments. Soon, the Herrins witnessed the meaning of dedication just by working with the staff. Professional relationships faded as friendships developed.
Days turned to weeks. When she was six weeks old, Megan found herself at a critical crossroads. As her parents stood by, her blood gases and oxygen dropped to a serious level and her doctors finally decided to transport her to Oshners. Her condition worsened. When the time arrived to move Megan, transport was no longer an option. She wouldn’t survive the move.
Through the long night, the NICU staff worked diligently to keep the frail newborn alive. As the sun rose, it became clear…
Megan refused to surrender. She would survive.
Her journey still long unfinished, Megan and her parents would face several more months in the hospital before her release. And when the day came for Megan to go home, the Herrins knew one thing for sure: they owed her life to the sheer dedication and perseverance of a dedicated staff that also refused to give up.
Today, Megan is a healthy, normal nine year old girl. With curly blond locks and steel blue eyes, she shines. Megan symbolizes success and reminds us that, even today, in the quiet corridors of the NICU, another small life battles for its
own story.
Overview
We’d like to invite you to take a journey with us back in time.
We hope at the end of our story, you will choose to journey forward with us as well.
Thirty years ago, Dr. John R. Jackson found himself in a predicament. While on his way to the hospital to save premature newborns, Dr. Jackson’s car suddenly stopped running. With no other choice, he ran the last few miles on foot. Was this unusual? Not for a staff member of Forrest General Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). For three decades, heroic efforts have been made. Nurses have stood watch all night over a newborn and doctors have gone that extra mile. And now, we’re taking giant strides again.
We could say a lot of things about the history of our NICU, but one characteristic stands through the years: our fierce dedication. Our beginnings began modestly. With each opportunity, we have added beds, service areas, educational tools and technology. Each step has allowed us a greater understanding of those frail newborns.
Today, our path of discovery has led us to a new vision and a new understanding.
And our history continues.
We are proud to announce the proposed construction of our family-centered Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The design will more than triple the NICU to 13,000 square feet, adding a family resource center and two apartments for parents. More importantly, the design symbolizes a new care model that allows babies to be where they need to be—with their families.
Through donations and the leadership of CEO Bill Oliver, Dr. Clint White and the Forrest General Healthcare Foundation, we have begun. Like 30 years ago, however, we find ourselves at the threshold of a tomorrow that we can’t reach without the support of our community.
We invite you to join us on this journey.
