Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital Opens Expanded Pediatric Intensive Care Units to Meet Growing Need for Critical Care
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 30, 2024 – Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital announced a significant expansion of its pediatric intensive care services, that at completion will house a total of 44 specialized beds across its newly renovated Ricky Hendrick Centers for Intensive Care, which encompasses the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. This expansion more than doubles the hospital’s previous critical care capacity, establishing Levine Children’s Hospital as the state’s largest provider of pediatric critical care beds and reinforcing its commitment to delivering world-class, life-saving care for children in the region.
“Expanding our pediatric intensive care is not just about adding more beds or equipment to be able to accommodate the growing need of our community; it’s also about nurturing the heart of every family who enters this space through personalized care,” said Callie Dobbins, senior vice president of Levine Children’s. “By investing in pediatric intensive care and ensuring that every child, regardless of their circumstances, has access to the specialized care they need to thrive, we are affirming our commitment to the well-being of our children and the future they will shape.”
With the expansion, Levine Children’s Hospital offers specialized care spaces to ensure the highest level of dedicated support for young patients and their families, from those facing severe traumas to children in need of critical transplants. As the region’s only pediatric provider of an advanced heart and lung bypass treatment known as ECMO, (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), the hospital is equipped to manage the most complex conditions.
Additionally, Levine Children’s Hospital operates the only dedicated pediatric Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit in the region, offering specialized, comprehensive care for children with serious heart conditions.
"As the demand for specialized pediatric care grows, Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital remains dedicated to advancing critical care capabilities and keeping families close to home to have all the resources they need,” said Dr. Dwight Bailey, division chief of pediatric critical care at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital. "Growing our capabilities reenforces our unwavering commitment to the children of North Carolina, providing them with life-saving treatments by a team devoted to delivering expert, compassionate care.”
The expansion comes at a critical time, with the impeding respiratory illness season placing increased demand on pediatric hospitals, with our critical care volumes typically increasing during the winter months. In addition to expanding critical care access as part of our commitment to patients receiving the best care close to home, families can continue to receive high quality pediatric focused inpatient care at Atrium Health Union and Atrium Health Levine Children’s Jeff Gordon Children’s Center. These dedicated pediatric care locations will continue to have seamless access to Levine Children’s Hospital for intensive care, if needed, now with even more available beds.
Levine Children’s Hospital, which has established itself as a trusted resource for families, ranking as a U.S. News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospital every year since its inception, is proud to set a new standard for pediatric critical care across North Carolina with this expansion. Philanthropic support from the community – including the Henrick Family Foundation’s generous gift in 2006 to establish the Ricky Hendrick Centers for Intensive Care – has been instrumental to the growth of the intensive care program at Atrium Health Levine Children’s.
To learn more about Atrium Health Levine Children’s pediatric intensive care services, click here.