TORONTO — Mount Sinai Hospital is set to open a newly constructed neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) this fall, thanks to a $5-million donation from the Newton Glassman Charitable Foundation.
Mount Sinai’s NICU, the largest in the GTA, is one of three in Toronto that provides Level 3 care, the highest level of care for premature babies.
In recognition of the Glassman foundation’s second major gift – in 2007, it helped purchase life-saving equipment such as ventilators, for the NICU – the unit will be called the Newton Glassman Charitable Foundation Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Glassman, a volunteer and member of Mount Sinai’s board, is founder of Canada’s second-largest private equity firm, The Catalyst Capital Group Inc.
He said that “neonatal intensive care units are extraordinary places and are critical to saving babies lives. I am a strong supporter of this area in health care and [am] both honoured and inspired to support Mount Sinai’s talented and high-performing team of clinicians.”
The Glassman NICU, will have 58 individual suites, which replaces the existing open concept model.
Other features include expanded space per infant, private rooms with parent sleep space, networked technology and electronic clinical documentation to ensure nurses have remote access to patients’ vital information, enhanced infection control, retractable walls to accommodate families with multiple births, shared family space equipped with a kitchenette, dining, a lounge and children’s play area, and overnight guest rooms for families out-of-town families.
Dr. Shoo Lee, pediatrician-in-chief, said there’s been “a major shift in care for infants in neonatal intensive care units where families have become an equal part of the care team.
“This gift will help us facilitate the physical changes needed to maximize the benefits of this new model and empower parents with the environment they need to provide the best care for their infants.”
Joseph Mapa, president and CEO of Mount Sinai, said “the clinical expertise and leadership in our neonatal intensive care unit is a crucial are for our hospital. This gift will allow Mount Sinai and flagship programs like women’s and infants’ health to continue to evolve and reflect changing patients needs and the latest models of health care.”
