The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital has been reverified as a Level IV Neonatal Center by the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
The three-year designation, the highest level of neonatal care in Georgia, recognizes the NICU for delivering exceptional quality and multi-specialty care to premature and critically ill newborns, according to a release from the hospital.
The Arthur M. Blank Hospital NICU cares for babies born at any gestational age and with any medical or surgical need. It is one of only four Level IV Neonatal Centers in Georgia, two of which belong to Children’s: Arthur M. Blank Hospital and Children’s Scottish Rite Hospital. The Level IV verification previously held by Children’s Egleston Hospital transferred to Arthur M. Blank Hospital when it opened in September 2024.
“I am so proud that the Arthur M. Blank Hospital NICU has once again been recognized by the Georgia DPH and the AAP for the advanced resources and highly specialized services our clinical teams provide to the most critically ill and medically complex newborns in the state,” said Brenda Poindexter, chief of neonatology at Children’s, in the release.
As part of the verification process, surveyors from the Georgia DPH visited the NICU in September to review benchmarks and patient cases, tour the unit, and meet with staff and clinical leadership.
The NICU met the exemplary performance requirements of the state’s Maternal and Neonatal Levels of Care Designation Program in every area reviewed.
“As Georgia’s highest level of neonatal care, this designation underscores our ability to care for the most critically ill and medically complex newborns while delivering the best possible outcomes for children and families,” said Patrick Frias, president and CEO of Children’s. “This accomplishment aligns directly with our More Than Possible strategy and our commitment to advancing the future of pediatric medicine by investing in nationally recognized clinical programs.”
Ranked among the top 20 hospitals in the nation for neonatology by U.S. News & World Report, the Level IV NICUs at Children’s combine advanced technology with highly trained clinicians to care for the smallest and most fragile patients.
With approximately 1,000 neonatal admissions each year, Children’s offers surgical interventions and medical therapies for critically ill and premature newborns that are not available anywhere else in Georgia.
