Sanford Children's NICU

Delivering A Vision

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A vision of many became a reality for babies, their families and health care providers on June 20, 2006, with the opening of the Boekelheide Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Located within the Sanford Surgical Tower on the Sanford USD Medical Center Campus, the Boekelheide Neonatal Intensive Care Unit represents the dream of those who have both provided and received care in a NICU setting since Sanford introduced the first neonatal intensive care unit to the region in 1971. A special thanks to the Boekelheide Family and Mr. Denny Sanford for their generous gifts that helped make this dream a reality.

Designed to Promote Healing

The Boekelheide NICU offers the only setting in the region that provides Level III care with individual patient rooms receives approximately 700 admissions per year. A Neonatologist is on-site 24/7 in the 45 family suite and 58 bed Boekelheide NICU.

Neonatologists are pediatric physicians who are specially trained in the care of babies who are born prematurely or with an illness. Our team of seven Fellowship Trained and Board Certified Neonatologists includes Anna Cheatham, MD, Akram Khan, MD, David Munson, MD, Joan Nold. MD, Suzanne Reuter, MD, Dennis Stevens, MD and Lawrence Wellman, MD.

Based on the latest scientific research, a team of families, former patients, staff and physicians designed the environment of the Boekelheide NICU to promote healing in a family-centered setting.

• Family-Centered Care
• 32 Giraffe® OmniBeds® which provide a temperature controlled environment for infants
• Indirect Lighting
• Noise Minimizing Alarms
• 45 Private Family Suites
• Family Welcome Area
• Web-cam Access
• On-site Neonatologists

It is scientifically proven that healing environments such as this reduce hospital stays and improve outcomes, both short-term and long-term.

Integrated Care

If there is a known risk that a baby will be born needing care in a neonataol intensive care unit, Perinatologists at Sanford USD Medical Center, Jeffrey Boyle, MD, Michael McNamara, DO, and Peter Van Eerden, MD, work closely with Boekelheide NICU Neonatologists to begin planning for that care before the baby is born.

Maternal-Neonatal Transport

In the event that a mother and/or newborn baby need to travel to receive care at Sanford USD Medical Center or the Boekelheide NICU at Sanford Children’s Hospital, our Maternal-Neonatal Transport Team is ready to respond to calls 24/7.