Hospitals and NICUs speak through their policies. Please listen.
Hospitals with unethical rules that ban parents are telling you exactly what kind of care they intend to provide your family. Most parents do not expect a NICU stay but if you give birth at one of these hospitals and for any reason your baby does require extra help, you WILL be separated from your baby indefinitely—until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted or until your baby comes home, which could be days, weeks or months.
We DO NOT recommend these hospitals at this time. Please reconsider your options. If a hospital has unethical NICU policies in place it is likely they did not practice evidence-based or family-centered care to begin with. To expect they would do BETTER in a crisis? Of course they aren’t. It is also very likely these hospitals have other unethical policies and practices in place on their L&D and Postpartum units. Your family deserves so much more!
Most NICUs have found a way to adapt to the extraordinary circumstances and still center their families. NICU visitation restrictions for parents vary wildly right now, but bans are unacceptable.
The following NICUs have current rules in place that ban parents (last updated February 16, 2021)
Methodist Hospitals with two NICUs Northlake located in Gary, Indiana and Southlake in Merrillville, Indiana
The following NICUs had rules in place that banned parents, and later reversed their policies
Carilion Children's in Roanoke, VA
Suny Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn New York
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey
ProHealth Care with two NICUs located in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and Waukesha, Wisconsin
Einstein Health with one NICU Einstein Medical Center Montgomery in East Norriton, Pennsylvania
BayCare Hospital system has 4 NICUs located in Florida: St. Joseph's Children's Hospital , Mease Countryside Hospital, Winter Haven Hospital, and Morton Plant Hospital.
Tampa General Hospital in Tampa, Florida
Northside Hospital Healthcare System with three NICUs located in Atlanta Georgia, Canton Georgia, and Cumming Georgia.