Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Give Now to the NICU Campaign!

Originally established in 1970 from the generosity of the late Tom and Katherine Black, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at The University of Tennessee Medical Center began with a mission to provide the highest quality care available for sick and/or premature infants. Today, the Medical Center, the NICU staff, and the East Tennessee community are more committed than ever to this mission as evidenced by the $4 million completion of Phase I of a major facility renovation and expansion.  The University of Tennessee Medical Center now proudly offers the region’s first and only designated Level III private room Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which provides state-of-the-art care, 24-hour physician coverage, as well as emergency, laboratory and other specialized services.

Phase II of the expansion project will bridge this new beginning with the future of the Medical Center’s NICU and, more importantly, provide even greater hope and promise to at-risk infants, sick and premature babies, and families throughout East Tennessee.

Phase II

Among the Medical Center’s NICU team are some of the nation’s leading fellowship-trained and board-certified neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, neonatal nurses, and other health care specialists whose individual and collective goals are to make “mighty ends” of the “fragile beginnings” that their young charges face.

Phase II will deliver unrivaled clinical excellence, unmatched customer-focused amenities, and unparalleled health care experiences for patients and practitioners alike.  Facility enhancements will include the addition of 29 private, single-bed rooms (in addition to the 29 added in Phase I, and the pre-existing 55-bed nursery) and five twin-bed rooms.  Research indicates that the private room concept brings tremendous benefits to at-risk babies including decreased risk of infection and shorter hospital stays.

Phase II will also include the relocation of physician and neonatal sleep rooms, environmental enhancements conducive to optimal health for infants, and the infrastructure to support current and emerging technologies for complex care of at-risk newborns.  In concert with Phase I, the second phase of the project aims to ensure process efficiency, customer satisfaction, physician and staff satisfaction and retention, and excellent clinical outcomes.

Campaign Initiative Goal: $4.8 Million

Raised to Date: $2,117,830

For more information about our NICU Phase II Campaign Initiative, please contact the Development Office at 865-305-6611 or development@utmck.edu.