“It’s terrifying,” says Jawad Javed, MD, professor of Clinical Pediatrics with University of Illinois College of Medicine-Peoria (UICOMP) and the Division Head/Medical Director of Neonatology with OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois.

Nearly 800 babies are admitted into the NICU at OSF Children’s Hospital in Peoria every year. The hospital receives families from the surrounding area, as well as up to more than an hour away.

Many families in these areas live in what’s referred to as a health care “desert,” especially when it comes to labor and delivery services.

"We are the largest neonatal center between Chicago and St. Louis. It is a critically important piece, because babies that are in Central Illinois, get to stay in Central Illinois. We cover about 30 counties surrounding our hospital facility," Dr. Javed says.

And when it comes to NICU babies, it takes a village to nurture them to full health.

OSF Children’s Hospital has 140 specialists who work around the clock taking care of these smallest patients, some weighing barely more than a soda can. This includes staff physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, neonatal dietitians, neonatal pharmacists, respiratory therapists, lactation and feeding consultants, speech and physical therapy specialists, plus case managers who help every step of the way.  

Having these resources in place is what has led OSF Children’s Hospital to receive Level IV NICU status. Level four is the highest level possible as designated by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

"Essentially, a Level 4 NICU provides full, comprehensive medical and surgical care and services that an infant would need. We provide ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), we provide cardiac care, cardiac surgery care, general surgical care, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics…" Dr. Javed says. "In addition to that, we provide the broad spectrum of pediatric subspecialties."

Additional subspecialities available: 

· Home nasogastric (NG) feeding program

· Neonatal simulation and education programs

· Telemedicine support for regional hospitals

· Quality improvement initiatives

· Family-centered development follow-up programs

Dr. Javed says admission into the NICU is one of the most stressful times for families.

"That first hour is so critical for the health, maintenance and success that's going to set up the rest of that child's life," he emphasizes. "Going to a center that has qualified, specialized neonatologists or neonatal care, you know that if things don't go as planned, there is a team that is ready to address those issues head-on and help that child be successful. That's why the NICU is so important."

While Peoria is home to OSF Children's Hospital, OSF Mission Partners are trained, staffed and ready at hospitals across the OSF Ministry to provide the best care possible for parents and babies alike. 

"We have neonatologists and nurse practitioners that are positioned in Galesburg, Bloomington and Danville that help implement the oversight of that care," Dr. Javed says. Nurse practitioners across the Ministry also come to OSF Children's Hospital for specialized training, taking what they've learned back to their home hospitals. 

OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois is an academic medical center as well. There's a lot of research and quality improvement work that's done, putting OSF on par with big centers around the country. Dr. Javed helped establish the Neonatal Fellowship Program and served as its founding Program Director. The fellowship recently celebrated its third graduating class.

Research is a major component of the academic work. Dr. Javed says OSF is prioritizing things like virtual reality and simulation, creating 4D delivery rooms to help train future physicians. There is also ongoing work in using artificial intelligence tools to help identify infants at risk for complications and support clinical decision-making. There's currently a project looking at predictive models for premature infants who might have early eye condition that can affect vision.

Not only is OSF Children’s Hospital the top-ranked NICU center in Central Illinois, it’s also one of the most well-recognized institutions across the country.

"This past year, we joined the Children's Hospital Neonatal Consortium. This is a group of nearly 50 centers in the country that have very comprehensive level IV NICUs," Dr. Javed says. Additionally, the NICU at OSF Children’s Hospital has been part of the Vermont Oxford Network (VON), a global community of more than 1,400 neonatal centers, since 1992.

Dr. Javed summarized, "Every family that walks through our doors is experiencing one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Our mission is to provide the highest level of care close to home, so families can focus on what matters most; helping their baby grow, heal and thrive."

To learn more about the NICU services available across the OSF Ministry, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

Video Interview Clips

NICU B-Roll

"I was a new neonatologist at that time and had only been in practice for a couple of years," says Dr. Javed, who now is the division head and medical director of Neonatology with OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria, Illinois.

"Nothing can quite prepare you for having a premature baby. It didn’t matter how much I knew. My wife's a pediatrician; it didn't matter how much she knew. It's terrifying, and those first moments when the baby is born and they're rushing you off to the NICU; it is a blur."

Despite his medical training, Dr. Javed says he struggled to process information during those early days in the NICU, when his now 13-year-old son was born at 32 weeks.

He estimates he truly absorbed only about 10-15% of what was being communicated to him and his wife. The experience gave him a new perspective on what families are experiencing during some of the most emotional moments of their lives.

"Sometimes as a provider, you feel like you want to give everything. But sometimes families just need time to digest what just happened," Dr. Javed points out, saying his experience has changed his entire care model.

Now his son is an energetic, on-the-go teenager that Dr. Javed jokes is the “life of the party.” He credits the NICU team that cared for him as a big part of that.

"It was a blessing in disguise early in my career. It changed how I communicate with families," Dr. Javed adds. "Those conversations that we have with families might be some of the most important moments each day for them. For the provider, you might be seeing 20 patients, but that family is waiting to hear about the next plan and the next decision."

Today, Dr. Javed leads a team at OSF Children’s Hospital that provides the highest level of neonatal care available. 140 pediatric physicians are involved in caring for NICU patients, Dr. Javed says, providing expertise across a wide range of specialties.

The hospital has been designated a Level IV NICU by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the highest designation for neonatal intensive care.

Level IV NICUs provide the most comprehensive care for premature and critically ill newborns. At OSF Children’s Hospital, specialists routinely care for babies born as early as 22 weeks' gestation.

What elevates a Level 4 NICU above other facilities is the breadth of specialized services available around the clock. OSF Children's Hospital offers comprehensive surgical support, including emergency and trauma, neurosurgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology and pediatric cardiac surgery, which includes congenital heart conditions.

Unlike facilities that may rely on visiting specialists, these experts are available as part of the hospital's care team every day.

While several hospitals in Central Illinois provide Level III neonatal care, OSF Children's Hospital is the only Level IV NICU between Chicago and St. Louis.

For babies born at 22 weeks, every organ system is still developing, creating significant medical challenges.

Their skin has not fully developed its protective outer layer, increasing the risk of infection. Their blood vessels are extremely small, requiring highly specialized intravenous (IV) access and monitoring.

Their lungs are also underdeveloped. At 22 weeks' gestation, the lungs are in a very early stage of development, making respiratory support essential.

The blood vessels in the brain remain fragile and can be prone to bleeding. The digestive system is also immature, making nutrition a major focus of care.

To support growth and development, many infants receive specialized IV nutrition and donor breast milk. Speech therapists also play an important role by helping babies develop oral motor skills needed for feeding.

Even the NICU environment is carefully designed to support development. Lights are often dimmed to create a neurologically appropriate setting that more closely resembles conditions in the womb.

While many NICU patients need only short-term support after birth, others require months of intensive care.

The average NICU stay for most infants is about two to two-and-a-half weeks. Most are considered transitional infants requiring short-term care who need additional monitoring or treatment after birth before going home.

The hospital also cares for approximately 60 to 70 of its smallest and most premature patients at any given time. Babies born before 30 weeks' gestation often remain hospitalized for four-and-a-half to five months, depending on the complexity of their medical needs. Advances in neonatal care now allow many of these infants born so early to both survive and thrive.

Supporting families is another critical part of NICU care.

Many families travel one to two hours for treatment and must balance hospital visits with work and other responsibilities. Care teams use tools such as telemedicine to help keep families connected and informed.

Dr. Javed says that OSF HealthCare partners with the Family Home and Ronald McDonald House in Peoria to provide low-cost or no-cost lodging options for families while their children are receiving care.

To learn more about NICU services at OSF HealthCare Children's Hospital of Illinois, visit here.

Video Interview Clips

NICU B-Roll

This collaboration will better serve patients in the community by bringing exceptional medical and surgical specialties closer to home. The affiliation combines a commitment to exceptional care and an expanded, comprehensive network of expert specialty and subspecialty physicians for patients in the area.

The latest collaboration will see Ameera Nauman, MD, a pediatrician at OSF Saint Anthony’s, move into the SSM Health network while continuing to see patients at the OSF Medical Group office in Godfrey. The Godfrey office offers primary care for adults as well as pediatric care. Dr. Nauman will have access to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, a world-class facility in St. Louis, for emergency and specialty care, such as advanced pediatric diagnostic testing, surgical services and sports care.

“I’m excited to be part of this collaboration that will allow my patients greater access to timely and exceptional care from pediatric specialists who are at the top of their field,” said Dr. Nauman. “Parents can know all of their child’s medical needs are in the hands of well-equipped, premier health professionals.”

“Hospital and health care providers can no longer operate in silos and must be willing to embrace meaningful collaboration that will result in availability of high quality, sustainable health care across their communities,” said Jerry Rumph, president of OSF Saint Anthony’s. “Dr. Nauman will be supported by pediatric specialists in areas including cardiology, oncology, neurology and gastroenterology. This team will have access to the NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] and a Level I [One] Pediatric Trauma Center at Cardinal Glennon Hospital, where providers are equipped to handle the most complicated and complex cases.”

Jeremy Fotheringham, region president of SSM Health St. Louis and Academics, said, “This collaboration will allow us to better meet the needs of this community while providing value and convenience to our patients. By working together, we further our Mission and Vision to ensure all people have access to the high-quality, personalized care they need.”

OSF Saint Anthony’s and SSM Health are excited about the new affiliation and are currently developing additional opportunities to bring more medical specialties to the greater Riverbend community to enhance and improve the health and wellness of residents. In April, the health systems announced enhanced heart care close to home through the addition of Sridhar Kumar, MD, a cardiologist at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, who became chief of Cardiology Services at OSF Saint Anthony’s.

B-Roll