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Our Commitment to Children
For families in the Tri-State, the first place to go for medical care for children has always been Cabell Huntington Hospital. Cabell Huntington has become known for the high quality of care and wide range of services it offers to parents and their infants and children.
Before Conception
Couples who are having difficulty conceiving a child can find help at Cabell Huntington's Center for Advanced Reproductive Medicine. The center offers diagnostic testing for men and women, along with assisted reproductive technology and surgical intervention. Since opening, the center has maintained a pregnancy rate that exceeds the national average reported by the Centers for Disease Control.
Before Birth
Cabell Huntington established a Perinatal Center to help women with high-risk pregnancies get the best care possible to ensure the birth of a healthy baby. The physicians and staff at the center care for pregnant women with conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or premature labor. The center also offers comprehensive preconception counseling, noninvasive and invasive prenatal diagnostic procedures, prenatal screenings for birth defects, 4D ultrasound and fetal echocardiograms by ultrasound, minimally invasive fetal surgery and a comprehensive prematurity prevention program.
At Birth
Cabell Huntington welcomes more than 2,600 babies into the world each year – the second highest number of deliveries of any hospital in West Virginia. The hospital cares for mothers and babies from 29 counties in the Tri-State area of West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. Many expectant parents are prepared for the experience through free or reduced-fee classes such as Preparation for Childbirth, Infant CPR and Breastfeeding.
For Infants
Cabell Huntington Hospital has the largest and longest running Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), not just in the Tri-State Region, but in the entire state of West Virginia. One of only three Level III units in West Virginia, our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit encompasses emergency, critical, diagnostic and therapeutic care for premature babies or those born with special needs. After discharge, the staff at the NICU Follow-Up Clinic monitors the developmental progress of babies who were cared for in the NICU.
In an Emergency
Cabell Huntington has a hospital-based transport program with ambulances specially designed and equipped to transport high-risk maternity patients, premature infants and children in need of specialized care. HealthNet III, an aero-medical service that uses helicopters and fixed wing aircraft to transport patients, has been based at Cabell Huntington Hospital since 1987. Teams of specially trained, experienced nurses offer advanced care to each patient on the ground or in the air.
For Infants, Children and Young Adults
Cabell Huntington Hospital established its Pediatric Unit when the hospital was built more than 50 years ago. To care for infants and children who need critical care services, the hospital opened a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in 1981. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, one of only three in West Virginia, is designed for patients from infancy to age 21 who need critical care services. It offers the first specialized pediatric transport services in West Virginia, and the team transports an average of 450 critically ill or injured infants and children each year.
For Children with Cancer
Pediatric oncology patients are treated at Cabell Huntington's Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center by professionals who understand the special needs of children with cancer. A pediatric hematologist/oncologist directs the program, which is affiliated with the Children's Oncology Group. This affiliation enables him to offer patients the same treatment protocols that are prescribed nationwide. A certified pediatric oncology nurse coordinates care for patients from birth into their early 20s, including administering chemotherapy, making follow-up appointments and scheduling CT scans, MRIs and other tests, providing crucial continuity of care.
For the Families of Our Youngest Patients
The Ronald McDonald House was built in 1987. It borders the campus, offering convenient, affordable temporary housing for the families of pediatric patients being treated at Cabell Huntington. Families who stay at the house meet other families with the same concerns, and the staff and volunteers help them cope with stress and anxiety while their child is being treated. Most guests come from southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio, but families from 29 other states and four foreign countries have stayed there, too. The Ronald McDonald House was recently renovated, doubling the number of rooms to 20 and tripling its square footage to accommodate the increasing number of families with children seeking treatment at Cabell Huntington.
Our Investment in Our Region
Cabell Huntington Hospital is a not-for-profit hospital; one hundred percent of our earnings are used to provide much needed services to our community. The hospital researches the latest advances in health care and adds new medications, equipment, technology and services that are most needed by the community we serve. For example, our original Neonatal Intensive Care Unit needed more space and updated equipment and technology to better serve the babies and their families. Our new, state-of-the-art NICU, which is the first phase of our children's hospital, opened its doors in early 2008. It cost $7 million and was funded by Cabell Huntington Hospital.
We care for those who are ill or injured, regardless of their ability to pay. Cabell Huntington provides a disproportionate share of services to children in need; in 2007 alone, Cabell Huntington provided $6 million in uncompensated care. Additionally, each year, pediatric patients receive the benefit of more than $30 million in care that is not reimbursed by their public insurance programs.
