Valley Presbyterian Hospital Receives Grant for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys announced Thursday a $50,000 grant from the Hearst Foundation will be used to help purchase four state-of-the-art beds for its neonatal intensive care unit.

VPH's 32-bed NICU unit treats more than 400 premature and critically ill infants each year.

"Babies born prematurely often suffer multiple impairments, which threaten their survival and require a tremendous range of life-supporting medical interventions and equipment," said Michelle Quigley, vice president and chief nursing officer at VPH.

"The new Giraffe OmniBeds will help Valley Presbyterian Hospital clinicians and care givers to provide the best possible care for our smallest and most frail patients," she said.

The bed is an incubator and infant radiant warmer, which allows a baby to receive heat uniformly for all procedural interventions, including X-ray.

Its rotating, 19-inch mattress allows clinicians and caregivers to adjust the bed 360 degrees for optimal patient access, and dual-access doors and gumdrop-shaped portholes provide space to care for larger babies or to accommodate several infants.