Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

“St. Bernards has developed this NICU to provide care for babies who have trouble with the transition from life in the womb to life in the outside world.”
—Dr. Douglas Seglem, St. Bernards NICU Medical Director

In the past, local families have had to travel hours away to receive care for high-risk pregnancies involving premature births or other complications—But not anymore.

St. Bernards is the proud provider of the region’s only Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a 12-bed open intensive care facility developed in conjunction with UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

Located on 5 East of the Medical Center, the NICU is a $1.5 million extension of the St. Bernards BirthCare Center. As one of five NICUs in the state, the BirthCare Center can now care for infants at 32 weeks and weighing 3 ½ pounds.

Neonatologist Dr. Douglas Seglem and the NICU’s multidisciplinary team have advanced training in the development and disorders of newborns and include professionals in the following fields:

  • Pediatrics
  • Nursing
  • Respiratory therapy
  • Pharmacy
  • Dietary
  • Non-invasive cardiology
  • Laboratory
  • Radiology
  • Physical therapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Speech therapy
  • Education
  • Pastoral care
  • Social work

With a combination of expertise and compassion, our caregivers develop strong relationships, teaching parents how to bond with their babies while they are in the NICU as well as how to care for them when they go home.

This addition to the continuum of care at St. Bernards means that families in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri whose little blessings arrive early can receive the specialized care they need without being too far from home.