Transition programs empower and support NICU families

For babies who were born early or with health concerns, graduating from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is an important milestone. Fortunately, M Health Fairview Pediatrics offers a variety of programs to help families with the transition from NICU to home.

M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis provides a Level IV NICU, the highest level of NICU and surgical care available to our tiniest patients.

Three other M Health Fairview Birthplace locations have Level III NICUs on-site. Located at Ridges, Southdale, and St John’s hospitals, these NICUs can provide continuous life support and critical medical care.  

Babies who spend time in the NICU often have ongoing health concerns that our neonatologists and specialists continue to monitor after the patient leaves the unit. For some families, the NICU intermediate care unit at Masonic Children’s Hospital serves as a bridge between hospital and home. There, parents learn to handle their child’s on-going care. Other patients and families get follow-up care through early childhood and beyond from specialists in our NICU Follow-Up Program or Cardiovascular Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Clinic who track their care and development for years. Some do both.