With NICU Level II Designation, TGH Spring Hill Expands Access to World-Class Care for Region’s Newborns

Spring Hill, FL (Nov. 7, 2024) — Tampa General Hospital celebrated today the reopening of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at TGH Spring Hill, where families and their newborns can rely on exceptional providers at life’s earliest moments.

“We’re here to provide world-class care for patients at all stages of life, especially the very early stages,” said Steve Short, executive vice president at TGH and market president at TGH North, which includes TGH Spring Hill. “With the new Level II NICU, families can count on TGH Spring Hill to help infants with complex conditions grow strong and healthy while remaining close to family and loved ones.”

The NICU at TGH Spring Hill earned a Level II designation from the state of Florida, enabling the hospital to provide specialized care for infants born premature, underweight, or moderately ill.

The NICU at TGH Spring Hill offers 10 convertible isolettes capable of providing complete temperature regulation, as well as ventilators to provide customized respiratory support and equipment to provide full nutritional support through an IV or feeding tube.

The NICU will provide care for sick and premature infants as early as 30 weeks gestational age or as small as 2 pounds 12 ounces. Beginning November 7, the NICU will be staffed by a board-certified neonatologist or a board-certified neonatal nurse practitioner 24 hours a day and seven days a week. This represents a significant expansion of the team to provide the best level of care for infants with complex conditions.

“We’re making a conscious effort to invest in the strength, capabilities and expertise available to support newborns at TGH Spring Hill,” said Dr. Patricia Emmanuel, chief of Muma Children’s Hospital at TGH and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “Whether infants are born healthy or in need of specialized attention, families can count on the world-class care provided by TGH Muma Children’s Hospital, which now includes the neonatal intensive care unit at TGH Spring Hill.”

In recent years, infants born at TGH Spring Hill needing specialized care were transferred to another hospital. The distance posed challenges for new moms and their families. With the formation of TGH North, Tampa General has worked to strengthen capabilities and grow services to expand access to care in Citrus and Hernando counties. The investment in the TGH Spring Hill NICU is just the latest example of these efforts.

Now, with a Level II NICU at TGH Spring Hill, infants born premature, underweight or moderately ill will benefit from Tampa General’s best-in-class providers close to home.