TRAVERSE CITY — It is a building no parent wants to see their child in, but the services it provides are the difference between life and death for an infant – a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Parents will have a new NICU in Traverse City as the Munson Healthcare Board approves the construction of a single story building.
President and CEO of Munson Medical Center Joe Hurshe tells us that that will have 24 neonatal intensive care unit beds that will reside within 22,000ft² of physical expansion on the west side of the campus at Munson Medical Center.
The building is part of a $40 million investment in women’s and children’s services that includes renovation of the maternity and pediatric units at MMC.
Hurshe says that the new design will allow for privacy, better flow for patient care, and “Will be a warm, welcoming environment that will be home to the highest level of neonatal care provided all throughout Northern Michigan. ”
Currently, Munson Medical Center is home to the only NICU in Northern Michigan which provides care to more than 325 babies each year from across the region.
While it would be a happy day when the services are no longer needed, Munson spokesman Brian Lawson tells us they know resources are needed now.
Lawson says “We want to make sure that we have the technology, we want to have, the space, and we want to have a comfortable space, for patients to come receive care. And I think that’s really going to be the key to this new facility, as we move ahead. ”
The new facility will be connected to MMC and located between the hospital and Cowell Family Cancer Center.
Hurshe tells us that they’ve worked with various iterations over the last several years to really determine growing needs and “our ability to keep northern Michigan families and their care close to home right here in Traverse City.”
Construction of the new NICU is expected to take 18 months to complete with an opening targeted for late-2027.