The UNMH Perinatal Program is the designated Regional Center for the care of high risk pregnant women and critically ill infants in New Mexico, and as such, has state-of-the-art inpatient facilities, an active, organized transport system and a large inborn NICU population (380 infants/yr.). The perinatal service is staffed by six board certified neonatologists and two board certified perinatologists. The UNMH NICU is a 30 bed facility with approximately 600 admissions/yr. The average daily census is 26 infants and the average daily number of infants on assisted ventilation is 13. The unique ethnic distribution of NICU infants is 46% Hispanic, 39% Anglo, 11% Native American, 3% Afro- American and 1% Oriental. The GCRC newborn scatter bed program has been an integral part of the NICU for over nine years. Currently there are 20 ongoing clinical research protocols involving a wide spectrum of pediatric subspecialists as well as neonatologists and perinatologists. A total of 55 original journal articles and 28 book chapters or review articles have been published as a result of clinical research conducted in the NICU since 1982. A comprehensive neonatal database staffed by data personnel has existed since 1985. The program is capable of tracking infants from birth through two years adjusted age. The Developmental Care program is staffed by a multidisciplinary team who is involved in medical/developmental research as well as the longitudinal neurodevelopmental follow-up of high risk infants. They have successfully tracked a cohort of VLBW infants with IVH for 10 years. In 1989, 275 infants were assessed in UNMH Special Baby Clinic. In summary, the UNMH Perinatal Program has evidenced a long standing commitment to patient care, clinical research and longitudinal follow-up. These attributes make the program an ideal candidate for participation in the Newborn Network.
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