Having a baby admitted to the newborn intensive care unit can be very stressful. We understand this is a difficult time for you and your family, and that this may not have been what you expected to happen after your baby’s birth. Please take comfort in knowing that your baby is in excellent hands, receiving care from a skilled and caring team.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has been a leader in neonatal care for more than 60 years. We opened the first surgical neonatal intensive care unit in the United States in 1962. This unit, now known as the Harriet and Ronald Lassin Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU), is located on our Philadelphia Hospital Campus.    

We opened a second N/IICU within our Middleman Family Pavilion in King of Prussia, Pa., in 2023 to expand access to our best-in-class newborn care services. This N/IICU allows us to ensure the best possible outcome for even more patients in the greater Philadelphia area.   

Both CHOP N/IICUs have the technology and teams needed to provide the best care possible for very sick babies with health issues related to prematurity, birth defects, lung conditions, heart conditions, and other disorders. CHOP’s expert neonatologists, advanced practice providers and highly trained nurses staff both units around the clock. 

The information that follows is about our N/IICU in King of Prussia. Information about the N/IICU on our Philadelphia Campus can be found here.

About the N/IICU at KOP 

The N/IICU at the Middleman Family Pavilion in King of Prussia (KOP, for short) is a Level III unit. This means the unit is able to provide specialized care for preterm and critically ill infants.    

This N/IICU has 18 beds that have adequate space for family members. We have access to on-site and telehealth consultation with many subspecialties and a designated clinical pharmacist, dietitian and respiratory therapist to provide exceptional care for you and your baby.    

We also have social work, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, child life and spiritual specialists to support you and your baby.  

We treat newborns and infants who present with:  

• acute and chronic respiratory failure
• hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (lack of oxygen to the brain before or after birth)
• need for neurologic evaluations including seizures and hypotonia (muscle weakness)
• need for evaluation and/or intervention for retinopathy (vision issues) of prematurity
• nonurgent surgical needs including inguinal (groin) hernia repair and G-tube placement
• sepsis, meningitis and other infectious diseases
• evaluation for feeding difficulties 

How Our Units Work Together

Babies are admitted to this N/IICU from referring CHOP Newborn Care affiliate hospitals and other hospitals, as well as through the Emergency Department at our King of Prussia Campus. Our medical team uses their expertise to decide which CHOP N/IICU location is best for each baby: the N/IICU on our Philadelphia Campus or the N/IICU at King of Prussia. They consider factors like the services the baby needs and the location of the referring hospital. 

As a Level III unit, our N/IICU in KOP is able to provide specialized care for preterm and critically ill infants. The most critically ill and premature infants who need the highest level of care are taken to the Level IV N/IICU on our Philadelphia Campus.   

Recognized for Excellence 

CHOP is always ranked among the best children's hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Our neonatology program is also always ranked one of the best. This is because our neonatologists are experts, we have many nurses available to care for each patient, and we have many different kinds of specialists available.    

A Focus on Safety

Your baby's safety and security are our top priorities. We safeguard your baby using the following measures: 

• We place an identification band on your baby when they are admitted and it remains in place until discharge from the unit.
• We will give you a parent ID band to identify you as a parent.
• Anyone else visiting your baby will receive a visitor pass.
• CHOP employees wear identification badges so you can easily identify the staff caring for your baby. 

Open Lines of Communication 

We understand how important it is to stay connected with your loved ones during this time. Parents are welcome to call 445-428-3500 at any time to receive updates about their baby.  

A camera called an “Angel Eye” is attached to each baby’s bed. It allows parents and family members to “tune in” to a live feed of their baby using a cell phone, so they can see the baby remotely. 

Visiting the N/IICU 

We work hard to make our N/IICU a comfortable place where babies can heal and parents can feel at ease and empowered. We make sure you and your family understand the medical devices your baby needs and why they need them, and we encourage parents to visit often and participate in decisions and discussions around their baby’s care.  

Parents and legal guardians are welcome to visit the N/IICU at any time. General visiting hours for friends and other family members are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. With the exception of your baby's siblings, all visitors must be 18 years or older.   

Info for Parents Visiting 

We encourage parents to spend as much time with their baby as they would like. When you arrive, please stop at the clerk’s window so they can let your nurse know. We offer limited sleeping arrangements for parents, so if you plan to stay overnight, please ask your nurse for help in making arrangements.   

Please wash your hands and forearms with warm water and soap for two minutes when you enter your baby’s room. Cover gowns are available, but they are not required. If you have a cold, we may ask you to wear a face mask (in addition to washing your hands carefully) to help protect your baby from illness. If you have been exposed to any contagious diseases like measles, chickenpox or tuberculosis, please speak with a nurse before visiting to ensure the safety of all patients.   

Info for Siblings and Other Family Members Visiting 

We understand how important it is for siblings and family members to visit. If you would like your baby’s brothers and sisters to come, please speak with your baby’s nurse or the charge nurse to arrange the visit. We want to make sure the visit works with the unit’s activity level and that your child won’t pose any infection risk to the babies. Please note, only brothers and sisters are allowed to visit — no other children, for safety reasons. An adult family member must supervise visiting children at all times. 

For other family members who want to visit, please work with your baby’s nurse to plan a good time. We kindly ask that family members with a cold, fever or diarrhea wait until they’re feeling better to visit. Anyone who has been exposed to a contagious illness (like chickenpox, measles or tuberculosis) should speak with a nurse first to make sure they’re not putting other patients at risk.   

Visitors — siblings and family members — must wash their hands and forearms up to the elbows with warm water and soap for two minutes as soon as they enter your baby’s room. Cover gowns are available, but they’re not required.   

To keep things calm for the babies, we allow only two visitors per patient at a time past the security doors. Once inside, we ask that visitors stay at your baby’s bedside for infection control and privacy reasons. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. 

Parking  

The main entrance to the Middleman Family Pavilion is located in the front of the building. Free parent parking is available at surface lots in the front and rear of the building. For all other visitors, we recommend parking in our surface lot (called Front Lot A) in front of the building, on the north side. After hours, all visitors will be directed to the rear entrance, where the Emergency Department is located.    

Our N/IICU team in King of Prussia 

CHOP’s Neonatology program is consistently ranked among the best in the nation. Every person on your baby's team has the same goal: to give your child the best possible care. We provide expert care and support your family in any way you need.  

Medical Director

• Jennifer Cohen, MD  

Attendings 

• Perri Donenfeld, DO
• Mark Ogino, MD
• Kimberly Parsons, MD
• Sergei Roumiantsev, MD, PhD 

Nurse Manager 

• Kanika Davis, MSN, RN

Front-line Clinicians: Neonatal Advanced Practice Nurses 

• Jamie Carey, CRNP
• Meghann Freyer, CRNP
• Marcia Taylor, CRNP
• Kimberly Zbarksy, CRNP  

Front-line Clinicians: Physician Assistants 

• Amanda Ball, PA-C
• Lauren Boyle, PA-C
• Jacqueline Chandler, PA-C
• Lorelei Francis, PA-C
• Guerin Jones, PA-C
• Marissa Lynn, PA-C
• Kristin Rogers, PA-C                   
• Jeffrey Schinella, PA-C   

Contact Us  

Your nurse will share a unit handbook with you when you arrive to answer some of your questions about visitors, how to keep in touch with family, where to sleep and eat, and unit routines. We welcome you to approach any member of our staff for further guidance and information at any time during your baby’s stay. 

N/IICU at CHOP’s Middleman Family Pavilion
555 S. Goddard Blvd., Fifth Floor
King of Prussia, PA 19406
445-428-3500