A P A R T N E R S HIP WIT H CHILD REN’ S HO SPIT AL L O S A N GELES ELEV AT ES NICU CARE. BY SHARI ROAN / PHOTOGRAPHED BY FRED SIEGEL
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hen discussing where to have her baby, Venice resident Melanie Bialis had heard other pregnant friends compliment Providence Saint John’s Health Center’s maternity unit. But some worried about whether the hospital had a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). “Actually, they do have a NICU,” Bialis would inform her fellow expecting moms. “I had taken a tour and was very impressed.” Bialis, a finance investment manager, even noted that Saint John’s had formed a partnership with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) in 2017 to have CHLA neonatologists help staff the 18-bed NICU. Of course Bialis, 43, never expected her baby would need NICU services. What expectant mother does? But Bialis and her baby needed the expertise of the NICU team last September 2 when Ava came into the world 10 weeks sooner than expected. Bialis had been admitted to the hospital with a condition called HELLP syndrome, a dangerous pregnancy-related disorder that involves the liver and bloodstream. Doctors attempted to stabilize her for two days before delivering Ava via emergency cesarean section. Bialis, however, watched in awe as the neonatal team rallied to her side. Vladana Milisavljevic, MD, the Children’s Hospital neonatologist and Medical Director of Providence Saint John’s Health Center’s Irene Dunne Guild NICU, came into her room to reassure her. When Ava was delivered—weighing 2 pounds, 11 ounces—respiratory therapist Mike Ryan was among the first to touch the baby and became a trusted caregiver over the following months. After the birth, neonatal nurses urged Bialis to reach into the incubator and touch Ava as they explained the intricacies of the isolette that would become Ava’s home for the following two months. Other physicians explained the baby’s prognosis to the new mother with warmth and compassion. “They were saying she had a good chance but that there were things that could go wrong,” Bialis said. “They made a pretty scary experience as good as it could be. I felt she was in very good hands.” That’s the point of the partnership with Children’s Hospital, says Albert Phillips, MD, medical director for women’s services at Saint John’s and a practicing obstetriciangynecologist for 34 years. While the NICU at Saint John’s is a level III facility—meaning the center is certified to provide highly specialized care—the addition of Children’s SAINT JOHN'S MAGAZINE
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