I currently reside at Tacoma General Hospital in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. Sure it doesn't sound that nice, but let me fill you in. All of my Doctors are the best in the State of Washington, and if you ask me the best in the nation. I always have one ready to help me if I need them. The nurses down here in the NICU are the best and nicest people I have ever met, and I think I'm a pretty good judge of character considering I've been alive for 6 days.
My parents are always thanking them, and I would too if I could talk yet, but from what I understand that will happen later down the road. So I can assume that since my parents trust me with them, then I should trust them as well.
How about some cool facts about where I'm staying. This isn't your average Joe hospital. This place boasts many amenities (I have yet to find the swimming pool) including:
Largest NICU in the state of Washington
~ The only level 3 NICU referral center in Western Washington
~ Member of the Vermont-Oxford Network
~ Only facility in the country to receive Medical Ground Transport Accreditation
~ Total unit capacity level 2 & 3 60 beds
~ Level 3 average daily census 24
~ Total census average 51
~ New state of the art level 2 nursery just completed
~ New level 3 nursery in planning stages
~ 120 total unit FTE’s with and per diem pool of 40
So your probably wondering what's next for me? Well hopefully I can go home soon, but I will be back in the hospital for my next major surgery sometime soon. However serious my heart surgery will be, I have even another great place I am going to stay to recover.
Here's something I had my dad dig up for me on Mary Bridge NICU.
"Caring for children is very different from caring for adults, not just because children are smaller, but because they have special emotional needs too. At Mary Bridge our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is dedicated solely to caring for children, and everything is designed specifically to meet their unique needs. Our PICU was recognized as one of the best clinical practice models in the country by the Pediatrics Intensive Care Units Evaluation System of the Children's National Medical Center, D.C. in 1996 and 1997. The Mary Bridge Children's Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is the only intensive care unit in southwest Washington specifically for children. The PICU has seven board-certified pediatric critical care physician specialists on staff, providing 24-hour care every day of the year. All clinical care is provided by specially qualified registered nurses and respiratory care professionals. The care unit features expert staff and a state-of-the-art monitoring system."
So after that stay, I can come home again. Hopefully all better and I won't be so sick. I have many out-patient visits to go to. But hey I am a popular little baby boy, who wouldn't want to see me so much.