Memorable Day

Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge will have the ability to provide more comprehensive care for its youngest and most critically ill children with the addition of the Newton and Betsy Thomas Family Center for Newborn and Infant Intensive Care. 

A blessing ceremony for the Level III surgical neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was held Nov. 16.

The 6,700-square-foot space features 10 rooms with 11 beds, with one room serving as a sibling space. The Children’s Hospital NICU will be staffed by neonatal nurses and respiratory therapists, according to OLOL officials.

The NICU team will be led by Dr. Elizabeth Lindsay, who earned her medical degree from the University of Texas – Houston Medical School. She completed a pediatric residency and a fellowship in neonatology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. 

She is board certified in pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine.

Children’s Hospital will not have a delivery center. Instead, most babies will be transported from across the region via the OLOL children’s pediatric transport team. Fully equipped with a specialized transport sled, the team has the capability to transport the most critically ill infants, including those needing high frequency ventilation, whole body cooling and inhaled nitric oxide.

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center President and CEO Scott Wester told those in attendance at the blessing ceremony it was a “memory day” to celebrate a milestone in the hospital’s history and to honor children, families, hospital supporters and hospital staff. 

Noting that Children’s Hospital recently celebrated its first anniversary, Wester said families will form memories of how the hospital was present during a critical time for their children.

“That’s what this unit is. There is nothing more important than taking care of someone’s newborn, especially during difficult circumstances,” said Wester.
 

Dr. E. Alston Dunbar, president of Our Lady of the Lake’s Children’s Health, said the newborn and infant intensive care unit “completes” the hospital.

“It allows us to care for the smallest and sickest of children whether they are born here or across the state or regions and beyond,” said Dunbar.  “We are a complete children’s hospital with the addition of (the center). What is our vision for this?   To increase the care we can provide. Increase our care for our children.”

Donors Newton Thomas and Betsy Thomas, the center’s namesake, said when they heard the announcement that Our Lady of the Lake was building a children’s hospital they thought what a wonderful thing to have a children’s hospital  in Baton Rouge. 

“We had visited with  Scott Wester and Dr. Dunbar to talk about their mission. When they talked about the scope of what they wanted for their mission we fell in love with the idea of the intensive care unit. We are happy to support this vision.” said Newton Thomas.

With two daughters in the medical field and having had grandchildren who spent time in a neonatal intensive care unit, the Thomas’ experiences drew them to the idea of having such a center at Children’s Hospital.

 Their hope is one day there will be a reunion of people who were affected and cared for by the intensive care unit and they would be able to be present to hear the experiences as they share their stories about how they were taken care of.

Father Donatus Ajoko, director of pastoral care for Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, blessed the center. He said the completion of the unit gives the families, who come from the Baton Rouge area, surrounding regions and beyond, the ability to receive comprehensive care closer to home.

“Taking care of kids is a priority for us,” said Father Ajoko. “This is an important day for us and for the state.”