Hospital Opens Neuro NICU by Briana Pastorino - City News Group, Inc.
View Upcoming Events View Your Local Sales

Community Calendar

◄ NOVEMBER ►
S M T W T F S
01 02 03 04 05 06 07
08 09 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 01 02 03 04 05
View Events
Submit Events
directory

Hospital Opens Neuro NICU

By Briana Pastorino,
May 21, 2014 at 03:38pm. Views: 155

Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital (LLUCH) has opened a Neuro NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) offering specialized neurological services to babies. LLUCH is the first hospital in the Inland Empire and only the fourth in California to offer such services. “With the opening of the Neuro NICU at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, we are bound to advance the field of neonatal neurology,” said Andrea Pardo, MD, co-director of the Neuro NICU. “This is just one more cutting edge development in our already state-of-the-art NICU to improve the outcomes of babies.” The Neuro NICU is an extension of the existing 84-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at LLUCH and provides specialized services to neurologically impaired babies or those at high risk for neurologic impairment. Those treated in the Neuro NICU require a focused approach in order to prevent brain injury or avoid further injury to the brain and to optimize the neurodevelopmental status of the newborn baby at discharge from the hospital. This unique care requires a collaborative effort between neonatologists, pediatric neurologists, and neonatal nurses with special training in neuro monitoring and the recognition that common neonatal medical problems and intensive care have an effect on the developing brain. “In opening the Neuro NICU we are joining a growing movement in neonatology that has begun to acknowledge the detrimental effects of prematurity on brain development,” said Raylene Phillips, MD, co-director of the Neuro NICU. “We have also included a strong focus on providing neuroprotective care, which seeks to create a more developmentally appropriate NICU environment to support optimal development of the newborn’s immature brain. Carefully structured neuroprotective care in addition to diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of known brain injury is a unique feature of our Neuro NICU.” The opening of the Neuro NICU has been two years in the making and was made possible in part by a $280,000 grant from the Riverside Community Health Foundation. “They have been very generous to us over the years in a number of areas,” said Andrew Hopper, MD, co-director of the Neuro NICU, and one of the visionaries behind its development. Hopper admits there was little to no funding available. “We wrote a grant to the organization and they graciously decided they would fund us.” Neuro NICU treatment can begin during transport to the hospital in a specially designed isolette. A baby would then be transferred to a cooling bed for whole body cooling; then be connected to an aEEG (amplitude integrated electroencephalography) monitor—which is used as a screening tool to identify whether seizure activity is present based on the frequency and amplitude of the electrical impulses from the brain. This information is displayed on the Nicolet EEG machine that will show a compressed tracing, which allows the bedside nurse, neonatologist and neonatal neurologist to identify suspicious electrographic brain activity and proceed with further testing and appropriate treatment for the babies, improving neurological outcomes.

Related Articles

Photo Courtesy of: TME Photography by Titan Mom Elvira

By Titan Mom Elvira, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 815

Athlete of the Week Christopher Michael Lemos, Redlands High School Junior and Varsity Quarterback, proudly represents the Terriers with his dedication, leadership, and passion for the game.

Photo Courtesy of: City News Group

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 1481

Redlands Pottery Project joins A.K. Smiley Public Library for a November 14 workshop designed for young artists ages 13 to 18. A lump of clay may not look like much at first. In the hands of a young artist, however, it can become a bowl, a decorative sculpture or an entirely unexpected creation.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.redlands.edu/

By William Cortez, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 2819

The University of Redlands Department of Theatre and Dance will present Día de los Muertos and Other Folk Tales November 5 through 8, 2026. Stories told by grandparents often become treasured parts of a family's history. Some are humorous, others mysterious, and many carry lessons that remain meaningful long after the storyteller is gone.

Photo Courtesy of: UC San Diego's ALERTCalifornia

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 890

A remote wildfire-monitoring camera overlooks a Southern California landscape. Redlands has partnered with UC San Diego's ALERTCalifornia program to improve monitoring of areas near northern Redlands and the Santa Ana River wash.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.akspl.org/events/

By William Cortez, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:26pm. Views: 1822

Annual ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial Shrine will bring American history to life on November 21. On a November morning in Redlands, the sounds of fifes, drums and historic artillery will offer residents an opportunity to experience a chapter of American history that continues to influence the nation more than 160 years after the Civil War.

Photo Courtesy of: City News Group

By Stella Pierce, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:18pm. Views: 807

The first years of a child's life are filled with milestones that families often remember forever. A baby's first smile, the first attempt to crawl and the first spoken words are moments of celebration. They can also bring questions, uncertainty and new responsibilities for parents learning how to care for a growing child.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.csusb.edu/

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 869

CSUSB’s Department of Physics and Astronomy has earned recognition for it for its work to create a more inclusive, diverse and supportive physics department, earning the Bronze Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science Physics & Astronomy SEA Change program.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.naco.org/program/operation-green-light-veterans

By William Cortez, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 2146

Operation Green Light returns November 4–11, encouraging residents to recognize military service and help veterans connect with available resources. As darkness settles over San Bernardino during the first week of November, green lights will illuminate several county buildings, transforming familiar government facilities into visible reminders of the sacrifices made by America's military veterans.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.authentikusa.com/

By Amanda Spencer, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 933

As America's most famous highway celebrates its centennial in 2026, San Bernardino reflects on the road that helped shape its neighborhoods, businesses and identity. Long before interstate highways became the preferred routes for cross-country travel, motorists making their way through San Bernardino followed a road that would become one of the most recognizable highways in American history.

Photo Courtesy of: Corina Borsuk and provided courtesy of SBCUSD

By Amanda Spencer, Community Writer

November 3, 2026 at 03:06pm. Views: 732

Muscoy Elementary students join SBCUSD Superintendent Mauricio Arellano, Board of Education President Mayra Ceballos, Assistant Superintendents Dr. Sandra Rodriguez and Dr. Tasha Doizan, Director MaryRone Goodwin and San Bernardino County Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. for the official ribbon cutting ceremony that opened the school’s new outdoor learning center.

Photo Courtesy of: https://riversiderecord.org/; A photo of Moreno Valley City Hall. (Alicia Ramirez/The Riverside Record) Credit: (Photo by Alicia

By Ruby Stephenson, Community Writer

October 27, 2026 at 02:39pm. Views: 1014

A city is often judged by what residents experience every day: the condition of its streets, the reliability of public services, the availability of recreational programs and the ease of obtaining information from local government. Behind those everyday experiences are departments and employees whose work rarely attracts national attention.

Photo Courtesy of: TME Photography by Titan Mom Elvira

By Titan Mom Elvira, Community Writer

October 27, 2026 at 02:39pm. Views: 908

Athlete of the Week Zachary Scott Perez, Senior at John W. North High School, is recognized as Athlete of the Week for his dedication and accomplishments as a student athlete.

--> -->