The Way Children Are Born Can Shape the Rest of Their Lives. This Soon-to-Open Hospital Will Give Them the Right Start
In the earliest days of life, every interaction and environment shape a newborn’s future, and that’s particularly true for babies born prematurely or with medical complications. The care they receive isn’t just about survival—it’s about laying the foundation for a lifetime of healthy growth and development.
This is why nurturing, family-centered environments can be just as impactful as medical interventions. Traditional neonatal intensive care units (NICUs)—rows of isolettes in open spaces—often fail to align with the unique needs of these babies. Overstimulation and stressors from surrounding activity and noise can hinder recovery.
“A controlled environment and increased parental bonding in the NICU can lead to better long-term developmental outcomes for at-risk infants,” says Colleen Moran, associate vice president of nursing administration at Temple Health in Philadelphia.
Temple Health’s NICU at the soon to open Women and Families Hospital presents a transformative approach to these challenges by redesigning the care experience for the tiniest of patients. Purposefully built with semi-private rooms, integrated services, and a focus on health equity, Temple will prioritize parental and guardian involvement and reduce environmental stressors. This model enhances outcomes for families by addressing both immediate recovery and long-term health, providing newborns with the best possible start while equipping families with the tools to navigate their health journey.
In a city where health disparities can prevent access to the best care, Temple’s NICU will offer more than medical support—it provides a model of hope. By combining evidence-based practices with thoughtful, compassionate design, this model is redefining what effective care looks like during one of the most critical moments for families.
Support from the Start
For many families, navigating a NICU stay can be overwhelming. The birth of a premature or medically fragile baby brings not only complex medical challenges but also logistical hurdles, emotional strain, and a steep learning curve for new parents. These challenges can be compounded by systemic barriers such as language differences or financial constraints.
Valeria, a Philadelphia resident, recalls the fear she felt when her daughter was born prematurely, weighing under two pounds. She arrived at Temple University Hospital, several weeks from her due date, overwhelmed by a sudden health complication that threatened the safety of her baby.
“I wanted everything to be okay for her,” she says. “It was very dramatic, very scary.”
Her daughter required immediate interventions to stabilize her breathing. Because she was born prematurely, she was at risk for developmental delays, feeding challenges, and respiratory issues.
At the NICU, Valeria was faced with an overwhelming scene: the wires, beeping monitors, and medical professionals speaking in terms she didn’t yet understand. Her anxiety was compounded by language barriers and the uncertainty of navigating an unfamiliar healthcare system–Valeria, originally from Ecuador, spoke limited English and had no family nearby to support her.
“I didn’t know what to expect or what to do,” she says.
But Valeria’s fears began to ease when a bilingual nurse stayed by her side, explaining every step in Spanish.
“They made sure I understood what was happening,” Valeria says. “They embraced me and made me feel like I was part of a big family. I felt like if anything went wrong, they would be there for me.”
Modeling Care
The NICU team worked quickly to ensure not only her baby’s medical stability but also Valeria’s ability to remain close and involved in her daughter’s care. That’s reflective of how Temple Health’s holistic approach to neonatal care addresses not just medical needs but also the broader social and emotional challenges families face.
At Temple’s NICU, the “Eat, Sleep, Console” model is built around the concept of calm environments and parental involvement, promoting faster healing and improved outcomes. This method moves away from medication-heavy protocols, focusing instead on supporting a baby’s natural behaviors. By concentrating on making sure the baby is feeding effectively, sleeping well, and calming with minimal intervention, the approach emphasizes nurturing over pharmacological solutions.
“The model is driven by the baby’s needs and responding to the baby’s reactions. Is the baby eating, sleeping and consoling properly, and what physical interactions can we provide to help?” Moran explains. “These methods actually reduce a baby’s time in the NICU.”
Temple Health puts this approach into practice through services like cuddlers, who provide soothing physical contact to comfort babies when parents are unavailable. Techniques such as skin-to-skin contact, quiet environments, and individualized attention are part of a carefully designed strategy to minimize stress and foster natural healing.
For Valeria, this approach was transformative. She was encouraged to hold her baby against her chest for hours each day, a practice known to regulate a baby’s heart rate, breathing, and temperature. Her baby’s responses to these moments were significant, as her oxygen levels stabilized.
“We were moving forward. We were advancing,” Valeria says.
Redesigning the NICU Experience in Philadelphia
Temple Health’s new NICU at the soon-to-open Women & Families Hospital is designed to better support these kinds of experiences. The space is built to serve Temple Health’s family-centered philosophy and creates an environment that serves both its patients and its staff.
The re-designed NICU replaces the traditional single-room layout with semi-private rooms, providing quiet, dedicated spaces where families can bond with their babies and participate in their care. Parents have dedicated spaces to rest, allowing them to stay close to their baby without the stress of leaving for basic needs. This design allows families to maintain a natural caregiving rhythm, fostering confidence and connection.
“It becomes second nature for parents when they’re able to stay in the same room with their baby—they can hear their baby, learn their cues for hunger and diaper changes. They start to recognize and respond to those cues before they even go home,” says Caitlynne Crowley, associate director of the Infant Intensive Care Nursery at Temple Health.
The design also better enables staff to serve patients. The semi-private rooms allow nurses to provide individualized care without distractions. For families, this privacy fosters trust and collaboration, while staff benefit from an environment that reduces stress and improves focus.
With intentionally designed space and clinical programming, parents receive more education and resources that will serve them even when they leave the NICU. Temple’s new NICU model empowers families by making them integral members of the care team. From day one, parents are taught to interpret their baby’s cues and recognize signs of stress. Nurses make sure to explain to patients the science behind the NICU’s methods, such as how skin-to-skin contact regulates a baby’s heart rate and temperature.
That education is especially important for parents like Valeria, for whom the NICU is often their first experience caring for a medically fragile child. Valeria practiced caregiving tasks under the guidance of NICU staff and established breastfeeding routines with lactation support specialists. Through several weeks in the NICU, her daughter’s recovery progressed smoothly, allowing for the removal of her breathing mask.
“They showed me how to do everything, step by step,” Valeria says.
Temple’s support also continues after discharge, connecting families to pediatric care, lactation consultants, and postnatal resources. This continuum of care ensures that families remain supported during the critical first months at home, fostering stronger bonds and reducing the likelihood of rehospitalization.
A NICU Built for Everyone
Of course, the advantages of Temple’s innovative approach to NICU care are only meaningful if families can access and engage with them. Philadelphia is one of the most diverse cities in the nation, with nearly one in four residents speaking a language other than English at home. At the same time, the city faces maternal and neonatal health challenges, with preterm birth rates and neonatal complications significantly higher than the national average. Temple’s new NICU will be designed to address these challenges, providing families with the comprehensive, supportive care needed to improve birth outcomes and ensure every baby has the best start in life.
That’s why Temple’s NICU addresses these inequities with care and innovations designed to increase accessibility. The hospital’s commitment to the community helps to ensure these resources are within reach for all families, regardless of their circumstances.
Families will benefit from on-site parking and clear signage that makes navigation easy. Translation services, bilingual staff and multilingual educational materials will help ensure non-English-speaking families like Valeria’s can fully understand and participate in their child’s care. The integration of services like WIC and lactation support provides convenient access to essential resources, while social workers connect families to transportation and housing assistance programs as needed. These features allow families to focus entirely on their baby’s recovery, creating a more equitable and supportive environment.
“I’m really thankful to Temple’s care team for being so clear with me,” Valeria says. “Now I’m just focused on helping my baby and her growth.”
Valeria’s daughter was ready to go home at 38 weeks, two weeks earlier than many NICU babies, and she’s now doing well. The routines and skills Valeria developed in the NICU continue to shape her child’s development, a testament to how holistic care leaves a lasting impact on both parents and their children.
This is a paid partnership between Temple Health and Philadelphia Magazine