LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Giving care to the region’s smallest patients requires a lot of effort and time.
In order to help achieve that goal, Covenant Children’s is opening its new small baby neonatal intensive care unit.
Courtney McPherson, Covenant Children’s NICU nurse manager, says this space, intended for babies born before 30 weeks, will go a long way in their development.
“Most premature babies definitely are still growing and their brains are growing, everything about them is still growing,” McPherson said, “so it’s really important for their brain to protect their brain.”
This space you see was constructed for the needs of these patients. Along with nine additional NICU beds, it offers lower lighting and noise levels, enhanced infection control, and the ability to minimize disturbances from inside the hospital.
Thomas Edrington, the hospital’s design construction manager, helped make this space what it is today, and it was a special build for him since his child was a NICU patient in 2024.
“It’s very hard and different cause you kind of have a hopeless feeling of just sitting there waiting,” Edrington said, “so it is really special to get to work on it and seeing it from both sides. It’s one thing to see it as a staff member from here, but to also seeing it from the parent’s standpoint and how you put that into play as you work on the project.”
More than 600 patients are served at Covenant Children’s NICU every year, so being able to provide even more opportunities to help families will allow workers to continue bringing the best support possible to those who need it most.
“We serve a really large population of eastern New Mexico and west Texas,” McPherson said, “and as we’ve been outgrowing our space, we’re limited sometimes on what patients we can take. This allows us to continue to care of all of those babies in the region.”
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