The Medical Center Health System Foundation Board has approved the funding for six new Bunnell High Frequency Jet Ventilators for the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at MCH. The funds will come from Children’s Miracle Network and the total cost of these important ventilators is just over $330,000.
Because the lungs of a preterm infant aren’t fully developed, conventional ventilators cannot meet their breathing needs. The Bunnell High Frequency Jet Ventilators are specifically for NICU patients and provide a gentle way for the baby to breathe until their lungs mature. With the purchase of these six new ventilators, the NICU will be able to replace three of the aging models, while also adding three more, allowing more pre-term babies to be treated at one time.
“We are so fortunate to have a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital right here at MCH,” Kelby Davis, Vice President, Medical Center Health System Foundation, said in a news release. “Thanks to Children’s Miracle Network and the Medical Center Health System Foundation, we are able to provide six brand new life-saving ventilators for our tiniest and most fragile of patients. Our daughter, Anderson was right here, in this very NICU on a ventilator. This purchase by the MCHS Foundation is near and dear to my heart. I am so proud to live in a community that supports MCH and the life-saving work this hospital is doing.”
