Health care
BY VANESSA HOLT
Health Care Edition
2025
Welcome to Community Impact ’s annual Health Care Edition! In this issue we look at a collaboration between area education institutions and health care facilities to keep nursing positions sta ed in the future. Also, read about the latest programs and initiatives available at several major hospitals in The Woodlands area such as new medical oce spaces and a behavioral health outpatient program for teens.
Premium sponsors:
Nicole Preston General Manager npreston@ communityimpact.com
HCA Houston Healthcare hcahoustonhealthcare.com/conroe HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe nurses and care teams recognized as national industry leaders
Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital houstonmethodist.org/ care-thewoodlands 9362702000 Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is committed to leading medicine by delivering unparalleled safety, quality, service, and innovation.
What's inside
Learn about Montgomery County Hospital District (Page 35)
Take a look at the new Project Beacon facility (Page 37)
For relevant news and daily updates, subscribe to our free email newsletter!
The Woodlands area hospitals offer advanced NICU options
With demand for neonatal intensive care units growing, hospitals in The Woodlands area are pro- viding options for families so they will not need to travel to the Texas Medical Center for services. Texas Children’s The Woodlands in April announced it had received a Level IV designation for its NICU, the highest level awarded by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The hospital is now the only facility in The Woodlands area with this designation. The big picture In The Woodlands area, three hospitals have Level III NICUs: Houston Methodist The Wood- lands Hospital, Memorial Hermann The Wood- lands Medical Center and St. Luke’s Health-The Woodlands, providing services to mothers and infants of all gestational ages and conditions. In Texas, the percentage of infants admitted to a NICU rose from 8.5% to 9.8% from 2016-23,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The rise in average maternal age as well as the increase in people having children through IVF could be factors, but I think that is only a part of a much bigger picture,” said Dr. Kristine Reyes, neonatologist for Texas Children’s The Woodlands. What’s new Among other facilities oering Level III NICU care, Director of Women’s Services Judy Brown with St. Luke’s Health-The Woodlands said that facility was recertied in April, a process that takes place every three years. The Level IV designation is not needed by multiple hospitals in a region, said Dr. Madhulika Kulkarni, a neonatalist with St. Luke’s Health-The Woodlands. Brown said a region only needs one Level IV center due to the variety of specialties and resources needed.
NICU levels The four NICU designations are: Level I
Newborn nursery that can care for mothers and infants at 35-plus weeks of gestation with routine prenatal problems Level II Specialty care nursery that can care for mothers and infants at 32-plus weeks of gestation with problems to be resolved rapidly Level III Neonatal intensive care unit that can care for mothers and infants of all gestational ages with mild to critical illnesses Level IV Advanced NICU that can care for mothers and infants of all gestational ages as well as the most complex, critically ill infants
SOURCE: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES COMMUNITY IMPACT
33
THE WOODLANDS EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook