NICU providers, Staff Recognized for Patient Care
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 11, 2020) — The providers and staff at UK HealthCare's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were recognized for their outstanding performance in the Vermont Oxford Network (VON).
The VON is a nonprofit voluntary collaboration of health care professionals with a mission to improve the quality, safety and value of care for newborn infants and their families through a coordinated program of data-driven quality improvement, education and research. "UK HealthCare has been a part of the VON since the early 1990s, which allows us the ability to track and trend our data as well as benchmark with over 1,000 VON members," said Kathy Issacs, assistant chief nurse executive at Kentucky Children's Hospital. "Because of the model unit initiatives, our NICU has significantly improved many processes to better care for our tiny patients and their families."
The 70-bed NICU at UK HealthCare is designated level IV, meaning the providers and staff are equipped to provide the highest level of acute care for babies with complex congenital or acquired conditions. With more than 30 advanced subspecialty programs such as pediatric oncology and pediatric surgery, the staff at KCH are able to provide the highest level of care to young patients, close to home.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.