Maria Parcels

Some babies born prematurely or are born with health problems need specialized care in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

There are three levels of care. Level I provides care for well babies. Well babies are born to term (38-40 weeks) and have no health problems. Level II provides care for babies with minor problems, or are born before 38 weeks. Level III provides care for babies born as young as 20 weeks and is only available in some hospitals. Level III hospitals care for the sickest and weakest patients and care is handled by specialized staff. Some Level III hospitals also offer some of the latest technology in breathing and heart machines for their critical patients.

If you are a pregnant woman concerned about pre term labor or are a high risk pregnancy the following are hospitals located in the Tampa Bay area that provide the best NICU care possible. Most of the hospitals on the following list also provide high risk obstetrics care. Click for more on obstetrics care in Tampa Bay.
 

All Children’s Hospital
501 6th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

All Children’s Hospital offers a 97 bed Level II and Level III NICU. They opened their new facility a few blocks from their old location on January 9, 2010. Both their Level II and Level III NICU’s are on the same floor. In conjunction with Bayfront Medical Center, they house the BabyPlace. BabyPlace is where pregnant women will go to have their babies and will be on the same floor as the NICU to have easier access to their children. Level I babies or well babies will be available to room with their mother. Each baby has their own room, making it easier for family members to visit and for parents to room with their baby.

Tampa General Hospital NICU (Davis Island)
Located on the same floor as the Women’s Center
1 Tampa General Circle
Tampa, FL 33606

Tampa General offers a 42 bed Level III NICU. They offer ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) for their critical babies. The ECMO is similar to a heart bypass machine.

Visit Tampa General Hospital NICU for more information on ECMO and other services offered for their NICU patients.  

St. Joseph’s Neonatal Intensive Care
Located in the St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital
3030 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33607

St. Joseph’s NICU services both Level II and Level III babies. It has 15 Level II beds and 27 Level III beds. It provides ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). ECMO is a specialized piece of equipment that does the work of the baby’s heart or lungs.
Visit St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital for more information on ECMO.  

University Community Hospital NICU
Located in the Women's Care Center
3100 East Fletcher Ave
Tampa, FL 33613

University Community Hospital has both a Level II and Level III NICU. Its level II NICU offers 15 beds. Their level III NICU provides 5 beds for babies born under 1,000 grams (2 pounds 2 ounces), or are in critical condition.

Brandon Regional Hospital
119 Oakfield Drive
Brandon, FL 33511

Mease Countryside Hospital
3231 McMullen Booth Road
Safety Harbor, FL 34695